Attorney Facing Sex In Jail Charges Suspended
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ordered the interim suspension of an attorney who is facing criminal charges.
KOKH Fox 25 reported on the criminal allegations
An Oklahoma City attorney is facing prison time after being arrested inside the Oklahoma County jail. The Sheriff’s office says the investigation began a week ago when a female inmate told deputies the man she thought was her attorney was engaging in sexual acts during visitations.
Deputies arrested Frank Kirk, 70, on Monday after setting up a sting that caught him on audio tape with the inmate. Investigators say the inmate originally contacted Kirk in January about representing her, but it turns out he never filed to be her attorney of record.
“Kirk told the victim that since she didn’t have the cash to pay for his services she could make it up to him by performing sexual acts instead,” said Sheriff John Whetsel.
Sheriff Whetsel said the investigation revealed the Kirk only pretended to represent the woman who was in jail on drug charges. She discovered the ruse when the public defender’s office contacted her about her case. That’s when the woman talked to deputies and agreed to assist in the investigation.
Investigators say the woman met with Kirk inside the jail and he is heard on audio tape making advances towards her. The sheriff’s office says the woman was told to use the phrase “my pants are too tight” to signal deputies to enter the room. “During his visit, Kirk furnished her with lubricating jelly and a sex toy and as this began our investigators opened the door and arrested Frank Kirk immediately.”
According to court documents the female inmate told investigators that Kirk coerced her into performing sexual acts while he watched at least four times.
Deputies found a cell phone with Kirk after his arrest. Bringing a cell phone into the jail is a felony. Kirk is now facing charges of possession of contraband and multiple counts of offering to engage in an act of lewdness.
“The sex toys and lubricant and stuff like that I can’t imagine in a million years any lawyer would do anything like that and hopefully there’s been a misunderstanding but it doesn’t seem that way to me,” said defense attorney Scott Adams.
The court concluded that there was a sufficient basis to suspend the attorney in light of witness intimidation allegations
Complainant alleges Respondent has filed a formal entry of appearance in several client cases pending in Logan, Oklahoma, and Tulsa Counties, primarily in criminal and family law matters. Because it is alleged that Respondent used his law license to gain privileged access to an inmate by representing to be her lawyer to commit lewd acts, and that he again used his law license to gain privileged access to another inmate in order to confront and intimidate J.M. from giving testimony against him, this Court finds Respondent’s continued practice poses an immediate threat of substantial and irreparable public harm based on the facts presented.
(Mike Frisch)