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Lawyer Caught Naked with Girl

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - January 16, 2007 (WPVI) -- Philadelphia defense attorney Larry Charles is facing serious charges after a sheriff's deputy found him naked with a 14-year-old girl in a conference room in the Criminal Justice Center.

On the day the city was honoring the memory of Martin Luther King, the CJC was closed, except for arraignment court in the basement.

Police say Charles somehow circumvented security.

His 14-year-old God daughter told police that he took her up to conference room on the third floor and placed a chair against the door so no one could get in.

She stated that Charles then took off all his clothes and asked her if she wanted to have sex with him. She replied no. He then allegedly performed a sex act on himself.

Meanwhile, a sheriff's deputy went looking for Charles because the area is restricted during weekends and holidays. He attempted to open the door and it was pushed back on him several times.

When the deputy finally managed to force his way inside to see what was happening, the report says he observed a young female standing in the corner with her hands to her face. He then observed Charles in the nude.

The deputy told Charles to get dressed and took him into custody.

Facing a slew of charges, sources say there were two previous incidents in the past two years, in which Charles was accused of engaging in similar incidents with minors.

In one case, the district attorney's office declined to file charges citing lack of evidence. In the other case, charges were filed and later dismissed by a judge.

Charles' law license was suspended following a no-contest plea in September 1990 to tampering with public records. Prosecutors alleged he and several others filed false wage claims while they worked for a youth program under contract with the city between 1986 and 1988.

His license was reinstated in 1996, according to the state Supreme Court's disciplinary board.

Charles faces charges including burglary, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and indecent exposure.

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