Lawyer, now prosecutor, accused of sex assaults on clients
A Pennsylvania county prosecutor was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting women who were his clients in criminal and child custody cases when he worked as a defense attorney. Bradford County (PA) District Attorney Chad Michael Salsman was charged with three counts of sexual assault, five counts of indecent assault, witness intimidation, obstruction, and promoting prostitution.
A grand jury heard women say he groped them, sought nude photos and pressured or forced them into sexual acts, sometimes on his office desk. “Many of Salsman's clients struggled with addictions, had a history of being sexually abused, or suffered from other vulnerabilities which Salsman exploited,” the jurors wrote in a report issued Friday. “He used his knowledge of their vulnerabilities to overcome their lack of consent and sexually assault them.”
His lawyer, Sam Stretton, said he has found no evidence of forced sex.
Salsman's status as district attorney has not changed, and his political fate will be up to residents of Bradford County and the board that investigates allegations of wrongdoing against lawyers, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.
Salsman, a 44-year-old Republican, has been the top prosecutor in the rural county along the New York line since early 2020.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lawyer-now-prosecutor-accused-sex-assaults-clients-75665823
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