Prosecutor To Prosecuted To Disbarred

A former drug prosecutor whose personal problems with drugs led to criminal conduct has been disbarred by the Georgia Supreme Court.

He entered no contest pleas to drug possession and weapons charges.

The court had rejected his petition for voluntary discipline of suspension last October.

In his petition, Csehy states that he was personally affected by the 2005 Brian Nichols courtroom shooting and, as a result, turned to alcohol and drugs. He went through rehabilitation in 2009, but in 2011 he was brutally attacked by a former client and suffered severe injuries, after which his addictions reasserted themselves. Csehy always had carried at least one firearm on his person or in his vehicle. In 2012 he made arrangements to bring illegal drugs to a woman he believed he knew, but it was part of a sting operation and Csehy was arrested and charged with several drug and firearm violations. Csehy underwent treatment with a psychiatrist, joined Alcoholics Anonymous, and sought treatment from the State Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program. As conditions of his probation, Csehy is subject to random drug and alcohol testing. 

The proposed one to two year suspension was deemed insufficient by the court

Despite Csehy’s recitation of these mitigating factors, recent events that have occurred since the filing of Csehy’s petition indicate that he is apparently still representing clients and that his rehabilitation might not have been successful. This Court has received a report indicating that, on September 15, 2014, Csehy appeared in the Superior Court of Cobb County as counsel for a defendant in a jury trial. The trial court noticed that Csehy had bloodshot eyes, was perspiring profusely, and was unable to stand without leaning on something. As a result, the trial court ordered Csehy to submit to immediate drug testing which showed that he had cocaine and amphetamines in his system. Based on the test results, the trial court held Csehy in contempt and had him incarcerated for five days. 

(Mike Frisch)