PHILADELPHIA — If they ever invented a version of catnip for
the human male, it would probably have something to do with sex … and World
Series tickets.
So when a 43-year-old, self-described “gorgeous tall
buxom blonde” from Philadelphia seemed to offer one for the other in an ad
on the Web site Craigslist, it was guaranteed to capture the attention of men
throughout the region — including the Bensalem, Pa., police.
After setting up a sting in a Bensalem bar on Monday night,
police say they arrested Susan Finkelstein, 43, who lives in Philadelphia and
works at the Wistar Institute.
She allegedly had posted a Sex-and-the-Series ad saying she
was a loyal Phillies fan in need of two World Series tickets. The posting said
that the price was negotiable, and that “I’m the creative type! Maybe we
can help each other!”
A Bensalem undercover officer who responded to the ad asked
Finkelstein to meet him at the bar.
Once there, “she said she would trade sexual favors for
Phillies tickets,” Bensalem’s safety director, Fred Harran, said Tuesday.
“She wanted the tickets at any cost and was willing to go the extra
mile.”
In the time it takes Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins to turn a
double play, Bensalem officers arrested Finkelstein and charged her with
soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor.
Her reaction? “She realized she wasn’t going to the
World Series,” said Harran — who is a native New Yorker, by the way.
To be sure, last-minute Series tickets aren’t cheap. The Web
site StubHub was offering seats for tonight’s opening game in Yankee Stadium at
anywhere from $249 to $9,500 — and more for the games that follow.
Police seemed a bit chagrined at the widespread interest in
the case. A Bensalem sergeant mistakenly sent out a news release and scheduled
a news conference that attracted media from as far away as New York, Harran
said.
By the time Harran realized what had happened, it was too
late to call off the news conference. Now he’s afraid people will think
Bensalem police “had nothing better to do.”
“It’s only a prostitution arrest. It’s not that big a
deal,” he said.
Why Bensalem? Because the arresting officer was part of a
unit that trolls the Internet for crime, Harran said. He said the officer
pursued the Craigslist ad to protect minors.
Police say Finkelstein is married. Her Facebook profile says
she is a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania and lists playing
piano, Italian Renaissance art, writing, and travel among her favorite
activities.
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She also is a devoted fan. On Oct. 20, the day after the
Phillies’ come-from-behind victory in game four of the National League
Championship Series, Finkelstein wrote that “it was WELL worth freezing in
the stands and paying $7 for Bud Lite!!!!”
Tuesday, she added a post saying she wondered about the
“integrity” of police. A friend replied: “I share that thought
with you Susan. But, on the bright side, it’s good to know that they’ve
completely eliminated all of the violent crime in Philly and now have the time
to focus on insignificant issues … “
No one answered the door Tuesday at Finkelstein’s home.
A spokeswoman for the Wistar Institute, which specializes in
biomedical research, said Finkelstein was assistant director of communications.
She was not at work Tuesday, said Staci Vernick Goldberg, Finkelstein’s boss.
“It’s an unfortunate situation, and we’re treating it
as a confidential personnel matter,” said Goldberg, adding that
Finkelstein previously had worked at the University of Pennsylvania’s
veterinary school.
Though Harran played down the arrest, David Zellis, first assistant
Bucks County district attorney, said Bensalem police were known “for being
very aggressive about upholding the law.”
Zellis said the prostitution pinch wasn’t exactly the case
of the century.
“It’s kind of one of those interesting things that gets
a chuckle out of people,” he said. “Hopefully this woman is not a
prostitute and this was a one-time dumb thing.”
Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
