Under Utah statute 76-10-1313 a person is guilty of sex solicitation if they offer or agree to commit any sexual activity with another person for a fee or offer or agree to pay a fee for any sexual activity with another person. This is an intent based crime, meaning you must have the intent to engage in the sexual act in order to be guilty of the offense. Utah recently broadened the law to include requesting another person to expose their genitals or masturbate or engage in any act of lewdness.
The purpose behind the broader definition is to assist undercover officers trying to bust prostitutes. Often prostitutes will ask potential customers to expose themselves as a test to show they are not law enforcement which leaves undercover officers in the awkward position of complying with the request or risk losing the bust. Now officers can make an arrest when asked to engage in the sexual conduct as defined by law, including being asked to expose themselves.
Sex solicitation is a class B misdemeanor in Utah and if convicted of the offense, a violator could face up to 6 months in jail, a fine and up to a year of probation.
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