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Canada- from www.calgarysun.com – Using the lure of modeling careers to draw two women into Internet prostitution has landed a Calgary photographer and magazine publisher a 2 1/2-year prison term.

But Justice Suzanne Bensler on Thursday stopped short of the up to 3 1/2-year sentence sought by the Crown, noting Codie (Brooklyn) Cardinal didn’t use violence or coercion on the women.

“Although Mr. Cardinal encouraged these women into prostitution, the evidence is something less than coercion,” Bensler said.

“Thankfully, there was no violence … towards these two women,” the Court of Queen’s Bench judge said.

“The coercion, if anything, was money.”

Bensler convicted Cardinal in April of four pimping-related charges in connection with his dealings with two women he lured to Calgary through his online publication of scantily-clad models.

He was found to have led both victims into prostitution, including a 17-year-old, and then lived off their earnings.

The procuring of a minor charge carried a minimum two-year sentence.

Crown prosecutor Shane Parker argued the range suggested by defence lawyer Rebecca Snukal of two to 2 1/2 years would basically give Cardinal a free ride for his crimes against the older victim.

“Essentially the offences against (the 19-year-old) would be lost in the equation,” Parker suggested.

But Bensler agreed with Snukal the totality of Cardinal’s sentence should not be overly harsh.

Despite that, the judge had harsh words for Cardinal’s conduct.

“These are very serious offences that involve parasitic behavior towards young women,” Bensler said.

Cardinal, 39, was able to convince a 17-year-old woman to come to Calgary when she developed interest in modelling for him.

A 19-year-old from Edmonton fell for the same lure.

Both women were shown online escort ads on Craigslist and convinced by Cardinal to sell sexual services over the Internet.

Parker noted Cardinal used his work photographing other models as bait to lure then into prostitution.

“He hooked them by appealing to what they wanted the most — a career in modelling,” he said.