Grocer sacked with child prostitution felony

Posted by Al Lewis on February 16, 2011
Embattled Execs

Court records allege former Sunflower Farmers Market CEO Michael Gilliland offered to pay $100 to have sex with someone he believed to be a 17-year-old girl.

He was nabbed in a sting by the Phoenix police. The “girl” he was talking to was working for the cops. He was charged with a felony count of child prostitution.

He hasn’t commented publicly but in resigning informed his company that he believes he is innocent and expects to be exonerated.

The elements, as alleged by the Phoenix police, suggest Gilliland is not only creepy but cheap. Did he really believe he commit statutory rape for only $100?

And what is the difference between a 17-year-old prostitute and an 18-year-old prostitute? Couldn’t he have found someone at least one year closer to his age – um – of 52?

Police records also indicate that Gilliland was NOT under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of his arrest.

As these sting cases go, Gilliland stands a good chance of reducing his felony to a misdemeanor with a good attorney. The news of this case, and his subsequent resignation from Sunflower, may be the harshest consequences he faces. He had a lot to lose, but rolled his dice quite recklessly.

Makes you wonder how someone capable of this kind of lapse in judgment could run a company.

Click here to read my column on Gilliland.

2 Comments to Grocer sacked with child prostitution felony

PPat Desrosiers
February 16, 2011

“Have a seat over there”—I cannot believe these guys are still using the internet. Gilliland is apparently unfamiliar with “To Catch A Predator” and now has a harsh learning experience ahead of him.

Michael Lemick
February 16, 2011

I had three reactions to this story.

First, it confirms my opinion that most CEO’s are obscenely overpaid morons. This guy is a billionaire and he’s trolling internet chat rooms for $100 hookers? It would take me a thousand lifetimes to make the kind of money he has, but if I were inclined to hire a prostitute I’d go higher end than that and do more research before contacting one.

Second, I think you need to keep in mind that the Phoenix police could very well be lying when they claim that the “girl” said she was under age. Police departments and organizations like Prostitute Research and Education have found that the only way to keep the public outraged about prostitution (and thereby keep the funding rolling in) is to represent every prostitute as an underage girl who’s been sold into human slavery. It’s not remotely true, but, as you said in the article in another context “It’s just business”.

Finally, there’s Melissa Farley’s contention that treating sex as a commodity is the defining characteristic of someone who sees a prostitute. Let’s say for a minute that that was the criterion for a solicitation charge. Well, we’d have to start by arresting every rich man in the country with a trophy wife. Then we’d need to bring in every guy who’s ever bought a woman a nice dinner or an expensive present in hopes that he’d get to have sex with her. At that point I’d imagine that the vast majority of American men would be in jail.