Ex-DA is labeled a 'sexual predator' at news conference; defense lawyer complains of 'smear tactic'
The defense lawyer for a former district attorney in south Louisiana is crying foul after authorities called his client a “sexual predator” at a press conference and said he had preyed on more than 20 women seeking his help over a 20-year period.
The former St. Charles Parish DA, Harry Morel, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to obstruction of justice for urging a woman to destroy photos of their meetings, report the Associated Press, the Advocate and the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The woman died of a drug overdose in 2013.
“Justice finally came calling,” U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite Jr. said at a press conference after the guilty plea. “Harry Morel could make things go away, but he wanted sexual acts in exchange.”
Polite said the single charge against Morel reflected “very significant hearsay concerns” and “questions about whether the quid pro quo was explicit enough.”
FBI agent Jeffrey Sallet said during the news conference that Morel “is nothing short of a sexual predator.”
Morel’s lawyer, Ralph Capitelli, told the Advocate and the Times-Picayune that Morel was not charged with any sexual offense, nor did he plead guilty to a sexual offense. “This appears to be a smear tactic to influence the court at the time of sentencing with things the government clearly cannot prove,” he said. “That is both unfair and, in my judgment, impermissible.”
