Maplewood is a city of just over 40,000 residents in Ramsey County, Minnesota, located northeast of St. Paul. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been documented in the city, including an incident in November 2021, in which a local prostituted woman was charged with second-degree murder in connection with an attempted robbery of a sex buyer in St. Paul that turned fatal. In March 2017, four people were charged for their roles in a multi-state sex trafficking ring that included operations in Maplewood. One defendant told investigators that the trafficking victims were frequently assaulted, raped, and robbed by sex buyers. In response to the case, the Ramsey County Attorney explained how society enables sex trafficking, saying, “We’re not going to solve this issue solely by arresting and prosecuting. In fact, none of this happens unless there is a demand.”

Identity disclosure and loss of employment are consequences of buying sex that have occurred in the city. For example, in February 2013, the head football coach of a Catholic prep school in Maplewood resigned a week after being arrested for soliciting prostitution in a reverse sting operation in Fridley. He allegedly met with an undercover officer, posing as a prostituted woman, at a Fridley hotel and offered her $100 in exchange for “full service.” The Woodbury resident was 1 of 19 men arrested. His identifying information was released to the press. The man was in his first year as a coach at Hill-Murray School before he resigned.