Former lawyer pleads guilty to lying to FBI about discussing client with sex worker
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 74-year-old man who used to practice law in Columbus has pleaded guilty to two counts of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The U.S. Department of Justice said that Dennis McNamara pleaded guilty on Tuesday to both charges and could serve a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been determined for McNamara. This comes after he allegedly denied discussing a client to a sex worker while representing said client in a drug and sex trafficking case.
Court documents said that McNamara was representing a witness during a case in the Southern District of Ohio related to a drug and sex trafficking organization. While he was in the middle of the case, he was engaged in a sexual relationship with a female sex worker and allegedly told her about the cooperating witness, per the DOJ.
Because of the nature of the case, the DOJ said that McNamara disclosing this information to the sex worker put the witness at risk of personal harm. When FBI agents asked him about this, McNamara did not disclose telling anyone information about the witness. The case had to be moved and assigned to the Western District of Pennsylvania.