Legal Ethics
Suspended Texas Lawyer’s ‘Sextortion’ Conviction is Upheld
Posted Oct 8, 2008, 05:34 pm CST
By Martha Neil
A suspended Texas lawyer who was convicted, along with his attorney wife, of misusing the civil litigation system in a scheme to extort money from men who had sex with her, has lost an appeal.
The 4th Court of Appeals today upheld Ted Roberts' 2007 conviction on three counts of theft by deception and coercion, reports the San Antonio Express-News. He reportedly threatened to file, but never actually filed, court petitions threatening to reveal the affairs to employers and spouses of several men with whom Mary Roberts had sex.
"A Bexar County jury determined Ted Roberts lied when he told the men the money would go to charity. Instead, it helped the Ted and Mary buy a new home and finance their law firm," the newspaper article notes. Law bloggers have called it a "sextortion" case.
Mary Roberts, who is also suspended from practice, has also filed an appeal of her conviction which hasn't yet been decided, the article notes.
Her husband was sentenced to five years in jail, which has been stayed while he appeals, and she got 10 years of probation.
The couple has been bankrupted by their legal woes, and, in an opinion (PDF) last year, the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of an invasion of privacy suit filed on the Roberts' behalf by the bankruptcy trustee against the newspaper's publisher.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Lawyer Seeks New Trial in Sex-Cash Case"
ABAJournal.com: "Lawyer Jailed for Extorting Wife’s Lovers"
Hat tip: How Appealing.
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Comments
Posted by Ellen Barshevsky - 1 month, 3 weeks, 1 day, 16 hours, 46 minutes ago
This sounds CRIMINAL to me and these people ought to be jailed. The husband has the WIFE make love to people then bribes HE them?
My criminal law professor says this requires mens ray involved and I agree.
I would never let any man, especialy my husband ,do this to me.
I would also stop dating my boyfriend if this happened, and divorce him, too.
My boyfriend says the woman is a CHANTUSE, with payment’s being bribery? I am not sure what he means, but I agree with him.