Opinion ID: 1883843
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Count I & II-The Salinas Matter

Text: In June 2002, David Salinas paid respondent $8,000 to represent him in a criminal matter pending in St. Tammany Parish. Respondent told Mr. Salinas that if he paid him $18,000, he would pay off a judge and the district attorney to obtain a more lenient sentence of probation, and that Mr. Salinas would be able to return to his home in Texas. Tape and transcript evidence of this verbal exchange is in the record. Mr. Salinas reasonably believed respondent had political connections to arrange such a deal. When Mr. Salinas was unable to pay the full $18,000, respondent advised him to plead guilty and assured him he could arrange a deal of a five-year sentence on the guilty plea. Based on respondent's representations, Mr. Salinas pled guilty. However, rather than the five-year sentence respondent had promised him, Mr. Salinas received a ten-year sentence. In 2004, Mr. Salinas filed a complaint against respondent with the ODC. Respondent failed to cooperate with the ODC in its investigation of the complaint. The ODC alleges that respondent's conduct violated the following provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct: Rules 3.5(a) (a lawyer shall not seek to influence a judge, juror, or other official by means prohibited by law), 8.1(c) (failure to cooperate with the ODC in its investigation), 8.4(c), and 8.4(d).