Westport Woman, 71, Charged with Prostitution Applies for Special Probation

The 71-year-old woman who police say made a deal to perform sexual acts for money at a Glastonbury hotel has applied for a special form of probation that if successful could see her charges erased.

Sygun Liebhart, 71, of Westport, applied for accelerated rehabilitation during her appearance Wednesday in Manchester Superior Court. She is currently facing a single count of prostitution.

Liebhart denied that charge outside court Wednesday, saying after her appearance that she was “dumbfounded” that officers had accused her of prostitution. She claimed that she had accepted money to go out to dinner, and that there was no agreement to have sex.

Liebhart also told the Hartford Courant that she had moved from Westport to Manhattan to stay with friends due to the publicity generated from the case, which went viral and was published across the globe.

Under accelerated rehabilitation an individual who successfully completes a period of probation will have their charges erased. Accelerated rehabilitation is typically reserved for non-violent, first-time offenders.

A Superior Court judge will decide whether to grant Liebhart accelerated rehabilitation; her next court appearance is April 2.

On Jan. 25, Liebhart was arrested at Homewood Suites, 65 Glastonbury Blvd., after police said an undercover officer with the East Central Narcotics Task Force responded to an ad she had placed on the website Backpage.com, police said.

The ad referred to Liebhart as “Lola,” and was located in the “escort” section of the website.

Police say the 71-year-old made a deal with the officer to perform sexual acts for money.

Editor's note: This article originally was published by Glastonbury Patch.