Kissimmee

The Illinois Administrator has filed a complaint alleging non-practice related misconduct

In March 2022, the sheriff’s office in Polk County, Florida, conducted a six-day undercover prostitution and human trafficking campaign called “Operation March Sadness 2.”

On March 10, 2022, Respondent, while residing at his second home in Kissimmee, Florida, searched the internet for erotic massages and answered at least one such advertisement.

In his text messages in response to one such advertisement, Respondent used lingo such as “roses,” meaning money or amount, “Gfe,” meaning girlfriend experience with sex, and “Bbbj,” meaning bareback blowjob or oral sex without a condom. There was also a discussion in the text messages about pricing, in which Respondent understood that he would pay $100 for one hour of sex with a condom and an extra $50 if he wanted oral sex without a condom.

On March 10, 2022, between 1:13 pm and 8:47 pm, Respondent exchanged 55 text messages in response to the advertisement offering erotic massages. Respondent identified himself as “Dan” and the person who responded to Respondent’s text messages identified themselves as “Ash.”

Alleged text messages are recited in the complaint.

Respondent established throughout his text messages with Ash that he would pay $100 for one hour of sex using a condom.

On March 11, 2022, at approximately 6:30 pm, Respondent appeared at the address given to him by Ash in the text messages. Once he arrived at that address, Respondent was then directed by text message to a second address, 307 Kettering Drive in Davenport, Florida. When Respondent arrived at the second address, he went in the building and met with a woman. Once inside, Respondent verbally acknowledged to the woman that he was there for sex and paid $100 in cash to her. Shortly after he tendered his payment, Respondent was arrested.

He pled no contest to a soliciting prostitution charge

the Honorable Robert G. Fegers withheld adjudication and sentenced Respondent to 12 months of probation, ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service, complete an online human trafficking class, submit to STD/HIV testing, forfeit his cell phone, stay away from the incident location and pay a $5,000.00 civil penalty.

Allegations concerning his response to the bar complaint that was initiated as a result of media reports about his arrest

On August 24, 2022, the Administrator received an email response from Respondent in relation to Investigation Number 2022IN00875. In his email, Respondent stated with reference to his arrest as follows: “After several rounds of golf that week, I made an appointment for a massage at a place that I found online. I arrived at the location, paid the fee and after exchanging greetings with the masseuse I was placed under arrest immediately. I later was told that this was a police sting operation and over 100 people were arrested in a similar fashion.”

Respondent’s statements in his email response, that he had made an appointment with a masseuse for a massage, was false, because Respondent knew when he was sending his series of text messages and appeared at the designated location, that he was negotiating and making an appointment for sex and not for a massage.

ABA 7 Chicago reported that Respondent is a retired Cook County judge. (Mike Frisch)