Editor’s note: In October 2017, this case was filed as part of a deal in which defendant agreed to complete a court-ordered program in New York State and refrain from any criminal conduct for six months. In July 2018, the case was dismissed based on completion of these requirements.

AUBURN — A Pennsylvania man accused of posting more than 1,000 ads promoting his girlfriend’s sexual services was charged Tuesday with sex trafficking.

An Androscoggin County grand jury indicted Dean Pascal, 65, of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, on a charge of aggravated sex trafficking, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and misdemeanor sex trafficking, which carries a maximum jail sentence of 364 days.

Pascal had posted 1,210 ads across five states promoting SexySeaBeauty on Backpage.com since the spring of 2016, according to a police affidavit. The 47-year-old woman featured in the ad told police she owed Pascal about $100,000, which she felt obligated to pay him back by working as a prostitute.

A local police detective went to a Turner Street hotel posing as a client. He and two other detectives were directed to a room where the woman featured in the ad confessed to them she had been providing sex acts for money, the affidavit said.

She told police Pascal had paid her to be his girlfriend and that he said he had given her $100,000 that she felt obligated to repay.

Pascal is expected to be arraigned Tuesday and enter pleas on the charges handed up by the grand jury.