Republished November 21, 2017 - 10:24 AM
Original Publication Date November 21, 2017 - 1:36 AM
ROCKVILLE, Md. - A fired Maryland court official is seeking a judge's reconsideration to clear his record of a sex-related crime, a non-profit victim rights group said Tuesday.
Israel Mangroo, a former district court commissioner in Montgomery County, was sentenced last year to 18 months of probation, sex offender counselling and 100 hours of community service for using his cellphone to take video images up the skirt of an assistant state's attorney.
He had asked the woman to look at something at his computer and she noticed "a flash or shutter movement from the camera phone" held beneath her skirt, according to charging documents.
Court documents show Mangroo is seeking "probation before judgment." If successful, that would mean his record would eventually show no conviction as long as he complied with his probation.
Washington-based non-profit SurvJustice said such a judgment would allow him to pursue another job in criminal justice.
In a statement Tuesday, SurvJustice said it was surprised that Mangroo is seeking this reconsideration amid a growing tide of national sexual misconduct scandals where "politicians, movie stars, and other powerful men are losing their jobs."
The non-profit represents the victim, who recently told a Maryland district court judge she opposed any reconsideration of Mangroo's sentence.
The former court official's lawyer, David Martella, did not respond to a phone call and an email seeking comment. In court documents, Martella said his client was "educated in the field of criminal justice" and "suffered other serious consequences" in addition to losing his job.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017