Federal Court Staff Attorney Takes Misdemeanor Plea in Child Sex-Abuse Case; Probation Expected
A lawyer who is employed as a staff attorney at a federal court in Syracuse, N.Y., has taken a misdemeanor plea in a child sex-abuse case and is expected to be sentenced to a six-year term of probation, a prosecutor tells the Post-Standard.
Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Cali said Thomas G. Smith turned himself in Oct. 16 and was taken in handcuffs that same day to Lysander town court, where he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of second-degree sexual abuse. He reportedly admitted that he had engaged in what the newspaper describes as sexual contact with a 10-year-old boy at his home in May and June.
Smith has taken paid leave from his job working as a staff attorney for the Northern District of New York, primarily helping prisoners on pro se matters.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18. Cali said the boy’s family is satisfied with the resolution of the case, which will require Smith to register as a sex offender.
The article doesn’t include any comment from Smith or his attorney.
