Philadelphia attorney is charged with sexually assaulting a trafficked 14-year-old at his law office
A Philadelphia attorney has been criminally charged for allegedly paying for sex with a 14-year-old victim of a human-trafficking ring, including bringing the girl to his Center City law office for sex acts.
District Attorney Seth Williams said the girl testified to a grand jury that Brian Meehan told her he knew she was only 14 and liked younger girls, reports the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.).
“The 14-year-old victim in this case was taken to ‘out-calls’ at the defendant’s place of employment—a Center City law firm at One Penn Center—several times where he engaged in sex with her for money,” District Attorney Seth Williams said, noting that the girl was able to describe the appearance of Meehan’s law office.
The couple who allegedly procured her for Meehan are former legal clients of his, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. They are charged with human trafficking but have not been identified because a grand jury investigation is ongoing. According to the DA, the couple also forced four other underage girls living in their home into prostitution. “The indictment details horrific abuse,” reports the Inquirer.
The couple is believed to have forced the 14-year-old to have sex with a number of men. However, Meehan was the only one she could identify because he brought her to his law office, the newspaper reports. Williams said Meehan had as many as a dozen sexual encounters with the girl.
Meehan faces charges including statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and promoting prostitution of a minor.
The articles say Meehan turned himself in Tuesday and was still being processed by police at last report. They do not include any comment from Meehan or his legal counsel.
Meehan lost his job at Bishop, Dorfman, Kroupa & Bishop as a result of the prostitution case, the firm told the Intelligencer. It is cooperating with authorities.
