After a prostitution ring was busted in Ridgeland in February, a woman involved has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars.
Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced Thursday that Samantha Lombardi, 35, pled guilty after an undercover officer with the Ridgeland Police Department arranged to meet her for not only a drug sale but also to engage in prostitution.
The undercover officer and Lombardi, of nearby Jackson, agreed to meet at the Staybridge Suites, as law enforcement was working to crack down on prostitution and drug sales occurring in suburb hotels. When Lombardi arrived at the hotel on Ridgewood Road, she was taken into custody and found to be in possession of various drugs including methamphetamine, PCP, liquid codeine, ecstasy pills, and marijuana.
Instead of waiting on the crime lab to test all the suspected controlled substances, Lombardi elected to waive a grand jury and plead guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. At the time of her arrest, Lombard was on probation for a robbery charge in Hinds County.
“Ms. Lombardi believed she was going to sell drugs and sexual services at a Madison County hotel. Instead, she encountered the Street Crimes Unit of the Ridgeland Police Department,” Bramlett said as part of the announcement. “The unit is dedicated to investigating drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes, and other criminals seeking to conduct their illegal business in Ridgeland. We commend the Ridgeland Police Department in their work to identify criminal activity and apprehend those responsible.”
A 33-year-old man by the name of Lee Anthony Corentin was arrested alongside Lombardi and charged with promoting prostitution and misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia. No word on any plea from Corentin has been released by the DA at this time.
