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An Indian American woman attorney from Sycamore in the state of Illinois has been charged with three counts of prostitution.
Reema Bajaj, 25, who had received her law license last year, pleaded not guilty to the two misdemeanor and one felony counts, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.
Bajaj, who grew up in the western suburbs, pleaded not guilty in Dekalb County on June 9, according to her attorney, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Bajaj is charged for allegedly performing a sex act with a man last month for USD 50, DeKalb County Assistant State's Attorney Julie Trevarthen said.
Police also say they were investigating another case when they found evidence that linked Bajaj to a prostitution case in August 2010.
This incident occurred 1,000 feet from a school, that elevates the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony, said DeKalb police Sgt. Bob Redel.
Bajaj, a 2010 graduate of the Northern Illinois University Law School, was not a practicing attorney at the time of the August incident.
Bajaj is free on bail after posting a $500 cash bond.
Misdemeanors are generally less serious crimes than felonies. The US federal government generally considers a crime punishable with incarceration for one year or less to be a misdemeanor. All other crimes are considered felonies.