He worked as an Assistant District Attorney for over three years. Prior to becoming an ADA, he worked as a criminal defense attorney.
His professional conduct was as dirty as it gets. He traded sex and drugs for special treatment of defendants’ cases. When he worked as a defense attorney, he was known to accept sexual favors as a payment for services. It’s unknown if the District Attorney’s office knew of his nefarious behavior prior to his hiring.
During his time as an Assistant DA he took steps to cover up his unlawful deeds by using physical notes, using secure messaging apps, and using a coded language.
A U.S. Attorney associated with the case said about the former Assistant District Attorney,
“As a public servant, he had a duty to act with integrity and competence. Instead, he violated the law, and the trust placed in him.”
He wasn’t clever enough to spot an informant asking him to help her with her family court case. The FBI recorded the encounter. The former Assistant DA bragged about previous sexual favors he’d received to help with court cases.
Here are two examples of his many illicit acts: The informant texted him and offered sex regularly for a year if he could get a friend's court case delayed two weeks. He happily accepted the offer and hoped she wouldn’t tire of having sex with him. In another recorded phone call, a caller asked him to check for outstanding warrants—which he had his staff check for him. Plus, he regularly provided illegal narcotics to the people he was helping both locally and crossing into other states.
The man who thought he was above the law pleaded guilty to possession of oxycodone with the intent to distribute and honest services fraud. Per the plea agreement, he will relinquish his license to practice law and never be able to reapply. He agreed to never hold a public office or position of public trust within the state. His formal sentencing in federal court is pending. I’ll update when the court has issued the sentence. #districtattorney #abovethelaw
Source: United States District Court, USA Department of Justice, The Joplin Globe