Bethesda resident Seth Hurwitz, an owner of the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty Thursday to solicitation of prostitution. The charge stemmed from an incident in August, when he allegedly offered to pay a female massage therapist for sexual favors.
Hurwitz, 61, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge and was put on supervised probation for three years, according to Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Hurwitz must also undergo a psychosexual evaluation as part of his punishment, Korionoff wrote in an email.
Hurwitz, of Lenox Road, allegedly went into a massage business in Montgomery County on Aug. 15 and requested a massage for his upper legs and inner thighs, according to court documents. He allegedly told the therapist that he would pay $300 if she massaged his genitals, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the therapist became uncomfortable and ended the massage early. Hurwitz then exposed himself to her. He paid $300 for a massage that typically costs $145, according to court documents.
After the victim reported the incident to police the next day, she texted with Hurwitz under the guidance of police about him getting another message. Hurwitz planned to meet her at the business, and he planned to pay $500 for sexual acts, according to court documents. When he went there Aug. 21, police arrested him as part of a sting operation and charged him with solicitation of prostitution.
Hurwitz announced at the time of his arrest that he was stepping aside from the club. He wrote a note to his staff at the 9:30 Club that apologized for any embarrassment he might have caused them. He did not address his alleged behavior.
Hurwitz sent a similar note to his staff this week explaining his decision for pleading guilty.
“Rather than present my side of this story in a court, with all that unwanted drama, I am going to do what’s best for my family and employees and put this behind us. There are simply times when, regardless of the facts or the law, it is much better to plead or settle and move on. This is one of those times,” he wrote.
Hurwitz apologized for “any distress” he may have caused his employees, without going into detail about the alleged actions.
In addition to co-owning the 9:30 Club, Hurwitz is also the chairman of I.M.P Concerts — a production company that operates Merriweather Post Pavilion and several other venues in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore regions.
Neither Hurwitz nor his attorney Paul Kemp could be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media