Immediate Suspension Sought for Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Using 'Spy Pen' to Film Women at Courthouse
A longtime Connecticut prosecutor recently fired from his $129,000-a-year job due in part to allegations that he secretly filmed women’s legs in and around the courthouse at which he then worked now has a new problem to deal with.
Contending that David M. Holzbach “cannot be trusted to avoid voyeurism of prospective clients, witnesses or other counsel,” among other allegations, the chief disciplinary counsel for the state is asking that his law license be suspended immediately on an interim basis.
In a Friday filing (PDF) in state superior court in Danbury, Suzanne B. Sutton wrote that Holzbach “poses a substantial threat of irreparable harm to his clients or prospective clients” because he “cannot control his deviant behavior as is evident by the long history of behavior and prior reprimands associated with this behavior.”
Her application for an interim suspension order appears to rely solely on an internal report that was made public after Holzbach was fired on Aug. 1 by the district attorney’s office.
Sutton alleges, on information and belief, that Holzbach used a “spy pen” camera (which, according to the report, was purchased from Brookstone) to take video of females at the courthouse without their knowledge or permission.
She says he was reprimanded twice for similar behavior: Once, in 1992, for “videotaping members of the courthouse staff without their knowledge in hallways in the office and courthouse and in the parking lot as they walked to and from the building. And a second time, in 2006, for “clandestinely photographing a female intern in the state’s attorney’s office.”
A Courthouse News article provides a copy of the complaint and summarizes it, but doesn’t include any comment from Holzbach.
A previous ABAJournal.com post provides additional details and provides a link through which the internal report can be accessed:
Prosecutor Loses $129K Job, Is Accused of Creating Hostile Work Environment via ‘Spy Pen’ Photos
