Craigslist is expected to drop its "erotic services" ads on the popular web site, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office said in a statement. The full removal of the ads is expected to take place sometime in the next week.

Craigslist officials recently met with the attorneys general from Illinois, Missouri and Connecticut, in a pre-arranged meeting to discuss the site's advertisements regarding illegal sexual activities.  

The site previously received weeks of pressure from politicians and law enforcement agencies, especially after Philip Markoff, 23, dubbed the "Craigslist killer," used the site to pick out people to rob.  The former medical student also was accused of murdering a masseuse he arranged to meet using Craigslist.

"Unsurprisingly, but completely contrary to some of the sensationalistic journalism we've seen these past few weeks, the record is clear that use of Craigslist classifieds is associated with far lower rates of violent crime than print classifieds," according to a statement by Craigslist, issued early to the Los Angeles Times.  "However, with respect to this new paid category for advertising by legal businesses, we will experiment with some of the methods traditionally employed in paid print classifieds."

Even though the erotic services ads will be removed, Craigslist will still keep something similar, though it will be closely monitored by employees, including a screening process before the ad is posted.

"New 'adult services' ads will be reviewed in the order received for compliance with posting guidelines and the Craigslist Terms of Use," a Craigslist note indicates.

Craigslist hopes by removing the erotic services ads, that politicians and law enforcement will cut the site a bit of slack.  However, the number of crime-related incidents tied directly to the site continues to pop up in the media, which continues to cause headaches for the Craigslist staff.