Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

Probe continues into sex allegations involving jailed lawyer

A year after L. Thomas Lakin went to prison on federal drug charges, a state investigation is continuing into sex allegations involving the once-prominent Madison County lawyer.

"The state's case is still open," said Charles Colburn of the Illinois Appellate Prosecutor's Office. "I can tell you it's still under investigation."

Lakin in October 2008 received a six-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to supplying cocaine to minors.

In exchange for pleading guilty, federal prosecutors dropped sex charges against Lakin that carried a possible life sentence. Prosecutors had accused Lakin of using cocaine to entice two women into having sex with a boy while Lakin watched, and taking the boy across state lines with intent to have sex with him.

The federal plea did not preclude state prosecutors from pursuing charges against Lakin. If they don't involve interstate travel, sex crimes with minors are typically prosecuted on the state level.

The criminal investigations stemmed from a civil lawsuit filed against Lakin in 2006. The suit, filed by East Alton attorney Ed Unsell, alleged that Lakin sexually abused a teenage boy -- the son of a former Lakin secretary -- and held cocaine-fueled orgies at his former East Alton home.

The civil suit, pending in St. Clair County, has been put on hold while the criminal investigations are sorted out.

When asked if he's presented any evidence or testimony to a grand jury to decide on filing charges against Lakin, Colburn said he hasn't.

"I don't want to get into exactly how we'll proceed," Colburn said. "I can't give you a particular time frame at this time."

Unsell said his clients deserve timely justice, and he's glad the investigation is showing signs of life.

"I'm glad the state has decided to make a move, any move, because the civil aspect of the case has been put on hold while the decision-makers were doing what decision-makers do," Unsell said.

While the federal charges were pending, Lakin's attorney, Scott Rosenblum, vowed that Lakin would never plead guilty to sex charges.

Lakin won lottery-size judgments in personal-injury lawsuits, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates on all levels, and lived a jet-setting life, often visiting his second home in Malibu, Calif. He's serving his sentence at a low-security, dorm-style prison camp in East Arkansas.