Rep. Bob Allen Convicted for Oral Sex

VIERA, FL -- Florida Republican legislator Bob Allen was convicted Friday of soliciting an officer for sex in a public restroom. Allen was arrested last July for offering a plainclothes police officer $20 for the opportunity to perform oral sex on him.

In his police statement, Allen told investigators he was just playing along when the officer suggested sex because he was intimidated by the "stocky black guy," and also said that there was nothing but other black guys around in the park. Allen said he was unaware that those other black guys were also undercover police officers and that he thought he was about to be robbed.

Allen faces 60 days in county jail, a $500 fine, and will likely be immediately removed from the legislature. Florida law provides automatic expulsion for legislators convicted of felonies but not misdemeanors.

"This conviction makes it impossible for Rep. Allen to represent responsibly the citizens of his district. Furthermore, it is my personal belief that it harms the reputation of the Florida House of Representatives. We will now take the appropriate steps," said Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Allen's term runs through fall 2008.

Rep. Allen is the author of failed Florida House Bill #1475, the "Lewd Or Lascivious Exhibition Act" which would have made public masturbation in the presence of another adult illegal, whether the other adult consented or not. He was also rated a "wicked witch," or the worst of the worst, by Central Florida's Rainbow Democratic Club with regard to his reputation on gay issues.