Washington, July 12 (IANS) American porn star Stormy Daniels was arrested at a strip club for allegedly allowing a patron to touch her while on stage in a “nonsexual manner”, her lawyer, Michael Avenatti said Thursday morning.
Following a performance at the Columbus strip club called Sirens on Wednesday night, Daniels was approached by multiple undercover officers informing her that she would be arrested for allowing the patron to touch her, Avenatti told The Washington Post.
The lawyer said Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is expected to be charged with one or more misdemeanors.
Early Thursday she remained in custody awaiting a determination of bail, Avenatti said.
An Ohio strip club law prohibits patrons from touching a nude or semi-nude dancer unless the patron is a member of the dancer’s immediate family.
Avenatti claimed the arrest was a politically-motivated “sting operation”.
He said his client was “performing the same performance that she has conducted at over a hundred strip clubs around the country”.
“This is ridiculous that law enforcement resources were used to conduct this sting operation,” he said.
“There has to be a better purpose for such resources.”
Avenatti expected her to be released on bail shortly and vowed to “vehemently contest all charges”, he tweeted.
The Columbus police and the strip club are yet to issue statements over the arrest.
Daniels has claimed of being physically intimate with Trump in 2006 when he was married, which the President has denied, reports USA Today.
She is suing Trump and his former longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen and seeking to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement that she signed days before the 2016 presidential election.