University of Michigan Associate Professor Yaron Eliav is being investigated by the school on charges he solicited sex from a law student he met online. According to reports, the 44-year-old Eliav paid the 22-year-old student to perform sex acts. Eliav and the student, whose name was not immediately available, both pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of using a computer to commit a crime.The Ann Arbor News: U-M professor, student involved in sex case

Legal proceedings were initiated after the student went to the Ann Arbor, Michigan, police station in April 2008 to report that Eliav had assaulted her at a hotel. The student allegedly told police that she had been advertising sexual acts on Craigslist to help pay for her tuition fees. She also claimed that she had allowed Eliav to strike her buttocks with a belt, but when he slapped her twice in the face she became upset. The student claimed that she had suffered temporary vision problems after the event but had no sustaining injuries. She also admitted that she had exchanged sex for money with about eight or nine men in April and May of 2008. The student claimed the money was for her tuition.Dark Professor: UM professor and student consensual prostitution

According to reports, Eliav and the student denied having intercourse but admitted that they had engaged in other sexual acts for which Eliav paid her $300. Eliav told police that he responded to the student's online ad because he wanted a partner for sexual experimentation. Eliav admitted slapping the student's face but said that it was part of the sex play to which the student was a willing participant.The Ann Arbor News: U-M professor, student involved in sex case

Eliav and the student were originally charged with prostitution and solicitation—charges that carry a punishment of more than three months in jail. A misdemeanor conviction for charges of using a computer to commit a crime carries a maximum sentence of one year behind bars. Eliav's attorney says that his client pleaded no contest in order to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible. He was not charged with the assault because the prosecutors didn't feel they could prove that crime.The Ann Arbor News: U-M professor, student involved in sex case

When someone is entering a plea they can chose guilty, not guilty or no contest. The no contest plea comes from the Latin nolo contendre. The plea means that the person does not refute the charges but does not claim guilt for them either. A person is often considered guilty when pleading no contest. If sentencing for a crime is immediate then the plea does not carry any special weight when a judge considers sentencing.