A defense lawyer on Friday balked at a $75,000 bond holding his client in county jail for charges related to prostitution before a judge agreed to reduce the amount.

“I'm at a loss as to why bond was set so high,” said Joseph Kecskemethy, a lawyer representing 36-year-old Jinfeng Jiang, who is a Chinese national. “The concern about protecting the community is negligible. There would be no crime here but for the demand.”

Butler County Common Pleas Judge William Shaffer reduced Jiang's bond to $5,000. Kecskemethy said his client should be able to pay it. Kecskemethy was unable to relay the information to Jiang because he said she doesn't understand English and speaks only Mandarin.

As Friday's hearing proceeded, Jiang began to cry as she sat handcuffed. An interpreter was scheduled to appear at the hearing, but was late and Kecskemethy decided to continue anyway.

Jiang and another woman were arrested by Cranberry Township Police in October after a joint investigation between police and the FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children/Human Trafficking Task Force.

The other woman charged is Chen-Sui Hong, 59. Authorities allegedly arranged meetings at hotels with the two women and an undercover officer in response to online advertisements offering sexual acts in exchange for money, according to Cranberry Police Detective Justin Hewitt's affidavits.

During a preliminary hearing last month, Jiang's bond was set at $100,000 and then later to $75,000, which landed her in Butler County Prison. Kecskemethy acknowledged that his client has been living in the United States for a year, and her visitor's visa has since expired, but he said that didn't justify the high amount.

Hong remains in Butler County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bond and has no lawyer listed in court documents.

“She's being charged like she's the manager of this operation, but she was just a laborer,” Kecskemethy said of his client, adding that with Jiang's language barrier, she is unable to communicate with anyone in the jail. “It's like she's in isolation.”

Jiang originally was represented by public defender Ryan Helsel, who was concerned she was a victim of human trafficking.

Kecskemethy said he was approached three weeks ago by friends of Jiang to represent her and had not received enough information about the case to make a similar determination.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Zanella argued the bond shouldn't be reduced because Jiang allegedly was in possession of more than $15,000 at the time of her arrest.

“Mr. Kecskemethy is shortchanging her role here,” Zanella said. “She was renting out the rooms. She's a Chinese national, not here legally (and has) no ties to the community.”

Jiang and Hong were arrested after investigators in October arranged to meet the women through text messages and phone calls to two numbers, which had different New York City area codes. Hong is identified in court documents as being from Flushing, N.Y.

The affidavits indicate the arrangements were not made directly with the women.

Arrangements were made to meet Hong on Oct. 24 at the Comfort Inn in Cranberry Township, where, according to Hewitt's affidavit, she agreed with the undercover officer to have sexual intercourse in exchange for $300.

Following that alleged agreement, she was arrested and police seized $300, three cellphones, a tablet, lubricants, cleansing wipes and 504 condoms.

The investigators' arrangements with Jiang were made similarly, and an undercover officer met Jiang on Oct. 28 at a hotel on Route 19 in the township, according to Hewitt's second affidavit.

There, police said, Jiang agreed to perform oral sex in exchange for $300. Police detained her after the alleged agreement.

In Jiang's hotel room, police allegedly recovered the $300 exchanged and seized one cellphone, lubricants, cleansing wipes, one condom and nearly $16,000, according to an affidavit.

The two women are scheduled for formal arraignments on Dec. 31.