Middle Township teacher fired after arrest in Atlantic City hotel scheme

Amanda Crafts, a 35-year-old computer teacher in Middle Township, New Jersey, was fired from her position this month following her arrest in an alleged prostitution case. She was charged on October 9 alongside Veda Engel, 23, for incidents that occurred in a casino hotel room in Atlantic City.

Police reports describe the events as beginning when the victim met the two women at a bar within a hotel resort. After exchanging contact information with Engel, the victim entered the room where they were staying. Once inside, the women allegedly stripped the victim and held him down on the bed. Engel performed sexual acts on him and then declared that the encounter cost $1,250.

While Crafts kept the victim restrained, Engel used his facial recognition features to unlock his phone. She completed four separate Apple Pay transactions totaling $1,250 to her account. A detective noted in the affidavits that the transactions were made without the victim's consent in exchange for the sexual acts.

Crafts appeared in court via video from the Atlantic County Justice Facility. She identified herself as a teacher with four children who had no prior arrests. She told Judge Timothy Maguire that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Middle Township school district confirmed the firing in a statement released on October 19. Superintendent Stephanie DeRose said the district's priority is ensuring that staff members meet expected standards to protect students.

Engel has a previous record involving prostitution charges. Last year, she was accused of offering sex to an undercover state police detective for $1,000 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. She was released on a summons at that time. Her attorney stated that she currently works for SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City.

Both women were held for nearly a week before being released on October 15. The state agreed to their pretrial release, which requires them to check in with the court every other week.