micdotcom: Baltimore attorney arrested after allegedly telling rape victim she would be deportedA Ba
micdotcom:Baltimore attorney arrested after allegedly telling rape victim she would be deportedA Baltimore attorney was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly attempting to discourage a rape victim from testifying against his client by insinuating she could be deported if she did, per the Baltimore Sun.Attorney Christos Vasiliades reportedly offered the victim and her husband $3,000 in cash if they didn’t appear in court and caused the case against his client to be thrown out, court documents indicate. During a private meeting on May 18, which was recorded by the victim’s husband, Vasiliades and Edgar Ivan Rodriguez, who identified himself as Vasiliades’ interpreter, pointed to the rise in deportations under President Donald Trump to explain why the victim should not take the stand.“You know how things are with Trump’s laws now; someone goes to court, and boom, they get taken away,” Rodriguez said during the meeting, according to court documents. Read more (5/24/17)I like to joke about “YOU! OUT OF MY PROFESSION!” when lawyers do stupid, unethical shit, but this is just…so far beyond that. This bastard needs the maximum criminal sentence and lose his license for life (and the ability to apply for one in any state of the union.)More disgusting and disgraceful is that this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of defense attorneys doing this to immigrant witnesses.Lawyers can (and must) zealously advocate for their clients, even when the clients are scumbags and/or criminals - but we do NOT get to threaten, bribe, or coerce witnesses. It’s a fucking crime when anybody does it, but we attorneys are supposed to be, first and foremost, servants of a FAIR LEGAL PROCESS. Due process belongs to everyone, not just American citizens, and that dies a quick death if you threaten harm to the victim of a crime or any other witness in a legal proceeding.As our justice system goes, so goes our democracy.Yes, I know I’m being idealistic. But it’s not naive to be enraged {/lawyer rage} -- source link
#lawyers#justice#injustice#trumps america#institutionalized racism