Posted on 12/23/2003 4:16:04 AM PST by Liz
DONE DEAL: Michael Boxley leaves the Albany court yesterday after agreeing to register as a sex offender.
Skip Dickstein/Albany Times Union
ALBANY - A former top aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday entered a surprise plea to settle a rape charge against him and will have to register as a sex offender - but will avoid any prison time.
J. Michael Boxley, who was the Assembly's top lawyer, pleaded guilty in Albany County Court to a misdemeanor charge of sexual misconduct in a case involving a night of drinking between him and a young legislative staffer that ended with charges of rape in her apartment.
As part of the plea deal, Boxley - who was hit with a similar charge from another woman three years ago, which resulted in no criminal charges - will face six years of probation and a $1,000 fine when he is sentenced before state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Keegan Feb. 9.
The once-powerful legislative aide will also have to register with the state as a sex offender.
Boxley, 43, was scheduled to appear in court for a routine pretrial hearing when the surprising plea agreement was announced.
"We spoke at length to the victim, whose primary concern was that he be held accountable and admit to the offense. He did that," said Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne.
"It's an appropriate plea given the difficulties that trials involving acquaintance situations pose," he added. "She's satisfied with the plea, and it spares her the ordeal of a trial."
Boxley, who made $130,395 a year with the Assembly, had been indicted on four charges that he twice raped a 22-year-old legislative staffer in her apartment after a night of drinking on June 10.
He was arrested and led out of his Capitol office in handcuffs and could have faced 25 years in prison if he had been convicted at trial.
Boxley, who left his job with Silver in late June and left the payroll in October after using up leave and vacation time, could not be reached for comment.
His lawyer, E. Stewart Jones, maintained Boxley's innocence and said he pleaded guilty because he wasn't confident he would find an impartial, racially diverse jury in Albany.
In accepting the deal, Boxley acknowledged having sexual intercourse with the woman without her consent.
And he's still a sex offender. By his own admission.
I know, I mean, after all, after Bill Clinton, what's a little sexual assault if the guy is a bright, charismatic Democrat?
Translation: he couldn't find a jury he could fool.
Even more insulting is that this lowlife thinks an all-Black jury would have deemed him innocent.
She was probably told if she didn't agree, they would smear her reputation from here to kingdom come .....which is the usual defense MO of the serial rapist.
You wouldn't know it from reading this article.
Doesn't mention that he's male or a human being, for that matter. Some things one simply takes for granted.
Ethics? Oh that.
Boxley was absent when the law school scheduled its 15-minute course in attorney ethics.
Democraps are beyond hope. They must be destroyed to save any good that is left in our culture.
Excellent point. Boxley and his ilk corrupt our government, turning it into a Third World banana republic where kangaroo courts are the rule of law. It was beyond despicable that this character claimed "politics" to save his sorry rump....making the outrageous claim that he wouldn't get a "fair trial."
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