Accused of trading legal services for sex, charges against Las Vegas attorney dropped
Prosecutors have dropped a lewdness case against a Las Vegas attorney in exchange for him consenting to be disbarred.
Attorney Douglas Crawford, who was disbarred last month, had been accused of sexually harassing employees and exchanging legal services for sex. Crawford was facing five gross misdemeanor counts of open and gross lewdness following his arrest in May 2022.
During a court hearing Jan. 21, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacob Villani said the case would be dismissed with prejudice, meaning prosecutors cannot charge Crawford again in the future, court records show.
Crawford, 69, has also agreed to disbarment, meaning he will no longer be able to practice law in Nevada, court records show. Crawford had been a member of the state bar since 1985, and he was ordered by a judge to cease practicing law after his arrest.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said Tuesday that his office’s goal was to ensure Crawford “never practiced law again the state of Nevada, and perhaps the entire country.” He said prosecutors decided to drop the charges after consulting with the alleged victims in the case, and because Crawford agreed to be disbarred.
Crawford had also indicated he intended to fight the charges, which would have prolonged the case, Wolfson said.
“In exchange for consented disbarment, the victims wouldn’t have to be dragged through a trial which they didn’t want to do,” he said.
Because Crawford was facing gross misdemeanor charges, the harshest punishment he could have received was time in the county jail.
“Because they were only gross misdemeanors, we really didn’t give that much up,” Wolfson said.
According to an order of disbarment filed Jan. 13, Crawford acknowledged that the bar provided documentation showing he violated misconduct and conflict of interest rules. Specifically, he violated rules regarding sexual relations with a client and criminal acts that reflect adversely on the fitness of a lawyer.
“Finally, Crawford concedes that the material facts in the petition for disbarment by consent are true and admits that he could not successfully defend against a disciplinary complaint,” the order said.
Defense attorney Josh Tomsheck, who represented Crawford, confirmed Tuesday that his client agreed to the disbarment, but he declined to comment further.
Crawford’s former employees told police that he had touched their buttocks and breasts without consent, according to an arrest report. Some employees said Crawford would also force them to kiss him.
Employees and witnesses told police that Crawford would also have sex with clients in his office, knowing that employees were able to see a live feed of surveillance footage from the room, according to the report.
One woman said Crawford would “target” young female clients seeking an attorney for divorce or child custody proceedings, the report said.
The Nevada Supreme Court in 2009 suspended Crawford’s law license for five years after he stole more than $300,000 from clients to support his gambling and drug addictions. He pleaded guilty to two counts of felony theft in 2011, but that case was also dismissed in 2017 after Crawford paid restitution, court records show.
Daniel Hooge, the general counsel for the state bar, said that Crawford is permanently banned from practicing in Nevada and he will not be able to reapply to the bar at a later date.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.