Former U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent
Credit: John Everett
Federal Judge Samuel B. Kent, indicted in January on six counts of alleged sexual abuse of two court staff members and obstruction of the investigation, pleaded guilty to obstruction and resigned his lifetime post on Monday.
He is the first federal judge ever indicted for alleged sexual crimes. Kent agreed to plead guilty to a single count of obstruction of justice and notified the president he would step down effective immediately, according to a prepared statement issued by his attorney, Richard DeGuerin of DeGuerin & Dickson in Houston.
"Judge Kent believes this compromise settlement is best for all involved, the complainants and the families, Judge Kent and his family and the court and judicial system," reads the statement issued following the change of plea hearing on Monday.
Kent faced trial on three counts of sexual abuse of two female employees, which carried a potential life prison term, two counts of sexual contact and a single count of obstruction of justice. U.S. v. Kent, No. 08-596 (S.D.
Texas).
Kent admitted the nonconsensual sexual conduct with two female employees during a court hearing on Monday and entered the guilty plea to a single count of obstruction.
The criminal indictment stands in sharp contrast to the four-month internal investigation by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judicial Council, which issued a three-page public reprimand on Sept. 28, 2007, and included a 120-day suspension.
Cathy McBroom brought the allegations in March 2007. McBroom has alleged that Kent touched her under her clothing twice and made obscene statements to her during the course of six years.
"Cathy said she is very relieved and she will wait until sentencing to have a statement," said her attorney, Rusty Hardin of Hardin & Associates in Houston.
As for civil actions against Kent, Hardin said, "We never really planned that and have not talked about that." We wanted to keep that off the table so as not to undermine her as a witness," he said.
Kent is only the sixth judge in the past 30 years to be charged with a federal crime. The most recent was a bribery indictment and later conviction of U.S. District Judge Robert Collins of the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1993.
