Florence is a home rule-class city of about 32,000 residents in Boone County, Kentucky. It is the second largest city located in Northern Kentucky, after Covington, and is part of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. Prostitution has been a well-documented problem in the city. For example, in April 2016, an undercover investigation revealed prostitution at a Florence massage parlor, prompting arrests and the retraction of the parlor’s license, according to local officials. Police arrested three women at the business, which was located in a strip mall off US-42. They charged two of the women with prostitution and the third with promoting prostitution.

In September 2021, a sex buyer was arrested when police responded to a reported robbery and shooting incident that occurred in Florence. Officers first responded to a report of a robbery, and shortly afterward, also responded to a report of a woman suffering from a gunshot wound at St. Elizabeth Hospital. Police were later able to link the two incidents. After an investigation, detectives from the Florence Police Department discovered that a man who lived at the complex hired two females to come to his apartment for sex. While they were inside, an altercation took place in which one of the “escorts” pulled out a gun and shot at the man but ended up hitting the other prostituted woman. The shooter drove the wounded woman to the hospital. The shooter was taken to Boone County Jail where she was charged with robbery, assault, and wanton endangerment. The man and the wounded woman faced charges of prostitution.