Former Republican political consultant Peter Hong was sentenced Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court to six days in jail and $750 in fines and fees after he was convicted last month of soliciting sex.

District Judge Margaret Marrinan also ordered Hong, 42, to attend "john school" -- a daylong class where participants hear from law enforcement officers, health-care professionals and a "survivor" of prostitution.

Hong was arrested July 23, 2008, after he responded to an ad placed by an undercover police officer on Craigslist. According to testimony at his trial, he asked for one hour of "full service," street vernacular for sexual intercourse, for $150. He was directed by phone to a hotel on the East Side of St. Paul. There, he handed the undercover officer the money.

Hong testified he was simply looking for a massage. A jury took less than 30 minutes to find him guilty of the misdemeanor charge of engaging in prostitution.

Hong, of Minneapolis, was given a 60-day stayed sentence and put on probation for a year. He also must stay out of legal trouble.

Hong has been in and out of state politics since the mid-1990s when he was a campaign press secretary for former U.S. Sen. Rod Grams. He served as a spokesman for Gov. Tim Pawlenty's campaign in 2002 and worked on President George W. Bush's campaign in 2002. He testified at his trial that he was unemployed but worked occasionally as a consultant.

PAT PHEIFER