PROVIDENCE, R.I. � A man who acts as a mascot for the New England Patriots is among 14 people who have been arrested for prostitution-related crimes in Rhode Island since a new law went into effect that banned indoor prostitution.

The bill signed into law in November made prostitution a misdemeanor crime regardless of where it occurs. Previously, indoor prostitution was allowed because of a legal loophole.
State Police say Robert Sormanti of Warwick was among those arrested in an undercover sting at a hotel. The Providence Journal reports Sormanti is among the team�s mascots.
The Patriots said in a statement that multiple people wear the mascot costume and that the �individual in question� has been suspended.
A phone message left at Sormanti�s home Friday evening was not immediately returned.