A New Jersey teacher, Amanda Crafts, was arrested in connection with an alleged prostitution scheme. This incident involved a man being restrained, subjected to sexual acts, and robbed in a casino hotel room. The New Jersey Department of Corrections identified Crafts as a 35-year-old resident of Wildwood Crest. She worked as a computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Another individual involved, Veda Engel, 23, from Cape May, was also charged in the incident that occurred on Oct. 9. Engel has a history of charges related to prostitution; one case dates back to December, as reported by Breaking AC.
According to police reports, the victim met the women at a bar located in a hotel resort in Atlantic City. After exchanging contact information with Engel, he later joined the women in their hotel room.
Once inside, the situation escalated. The victim reported that the women removed his clothes and restrained him. Engel is accused of forcing sexual acts on the victim and stating, “That’s what you get for $1,250,” as noted in the complaint. During this time, Crafts allegedly restrained the victim while Engel used his phone’s facial recognition to unlock it. She then made four Apple Pay transactions totaling $1,250. According to detectives, these transactions occurred without the victim’s consent.
In her court appearance, Crafts mentioned that she was a teacher with no prior arrests. She expressed to Judge Timothy Maguire that she was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Information from the Atlantic County Justice Facility revealed that Crafts was presenting her case via video during this hearing.
Crafts, a mother of four, taught computers in the special area department of her school. Middle Township School District acknowledged her arrest on Oct. 19 and confirmed her termination. Superintendent Stephanie DeRose emphasized the school’s commitment to student safety, stating that protecting students remains their highest priority.
Engel, apart from this incident, works at SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City, as mentioned by her attorney. Her previous encounter with law enforcement in 2022 involved allegedly offering an undercover New Jersey State Police detective sex for $1,000 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. She was reportedly released on a summons following that incident.
Both Engel and Crafts were released on Oct. 15 after nearly a week in custody. Their pretrial release terms include bi-weekly court check-ins. Bonny Chu, a writer for Fox News Digital, covered this breaking news story.