Former NBA player Jim Farmer is facing new charges of sex trafficking in Tennessee after being indicted by a Rutherford County Grand Jury. He was originally charged in October after being arrested in a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation sting operation that lasted two days. This operation led to the arrests of 16 men that were allegedly seeking sex from minors.
Following a General Sessions judge throwing out the original charge in November, Farmer is facing new charges. These include attempted trafficking for sexual servitude, attempted patronizing prostitution, and three counts of attempted solicitation of a minor. He is expected to plead not guilty at his next court appearance.
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Farmer was arrested Friday on the new charges on $100,000 bond. He was later released the same day at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.
“Indictments were pursued despite a former hearing where the General Sessions Judge reviewed of all audio and video evidence compiled, heard testimony from the lead detective and ultimately made the determination that the charge should be dismissed because the evidence did not meet the lowest probable cause standard to bind the case over to the grand jury,” attorneys Worrick Robinson and Will Fraley said in a joint statement.
“Mr. Farmer will plead not guilty at his next court appearance, and will request an expedited trial on the merits of this case where he expects to be once again be determined innocent of the charges against him.”
An affidavit from the original arrest showed that Farmer allegedly responded to an online escort service advertisement in regard to meeting a juvenile for sex. The affidavit shows that an undercover officer identified herself as a 16-year-old girl, and Farmer agreed to pay $170 to have sex with the girl.
The 55-year-old Farmer arrived at a predetermined location on Oct. 25. He was arrested by authorities. He was booked into the Rutherford County jail later that same day. He was ultimately released the following Tuesday on $75,000 bond.
A former basketball player for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Farmer was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft. He spent six seasons in the league. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and now-defunct Seattle SuperSonics. Farmer appeared in 136 career games and made 42.8 percent of his attempted field goals.
Photo Credit: Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images
