Federal judge in Texas pleads not guilty to new allegations of sex abuse
HOUSTON - A federal judge charged with fondling a court employee and trying to force her into a sexual act pleaded not guilty yesterday to new allegations brought by another former employee.
US District Judge Samuel Kent entered his plea a day after a federal grand jury added three new charges to the indictment it issued in August that accuses him of making unwanted sexual advances toward his former court case manager.
The new charges - aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact, and obstruction of justice - allege Kent tried to force a second female court employee into a sexual act and lied about it to investigators.
"The charges are not true," Dick DeGuerin, Kent's attorney, said after the hearing, adding he was limited in what he could say because of a gag order in the case. Prosecutors declined to comment.
Kent, the first federal judge charged with sex crimes, said very little during yesterday's hearing, in stark contrast to his first arraignment in September when he was very vocal and vowed to bring a "horde of witnesses" in his defense.
Edward Prado, a federal appeals court judge brought to Houston to preside over the arraignment, ordered that Kent remain free on his own recognizance. Kent left after the hearing ended with his wife, Sarah.
Before he was indicted, Kent presided over the federal court in Galveston. Since then, he has been ordered to work out of the federal courthouse in Houston, the same courthouse where he is also a defendant.
Jury selection in Kent's trial is still set to begin Jan. 26.
Yesterday's hearing was closed for nearly an hour at the request of prosecutors to discuss issues related to Kent's bond. DeGuerin has tried unsuccessfully to have the discussion in open court.
"I thought the public ought to know what's going on in the case," DeGuerin said after the hearing.
Information about the case has been limited to what is said in open court and written in court motions because of the gag order, issued by US District Judge Roger Vinson, a Florida jurist appointed to preside over the trial.
After several media organizations, including The Associated Press, objected to the order, Vinson made minor changes, but still kept it in place.
If convicted, Kent faces up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He is the first federal judge to be indicted on any charges in the last 18 years. 