Austin lawyer is arrested in sex sweep
Judson Sutherland faces prostitution charge after sting.
By PhilipJankowski PJANKOWSKI@STATESMAN.COM
Judson V. Sutherland, an Austin lawyer named as one of Austin’s top legal talents in the Austin Under 40 awards in April, was arrested last week in an FBI sweep aimed at sex trafficking.
Sutherland, 37, was one of seven facing prostitution charges in Austin during the FBI initiative Operation Cross Country last week. Police also charged one woman with human trafficking in an unrelated case after an undercover police officer found that she was promoting the prostitution of a 17-year-old girl, an affidavit said.
Sutherland is one of the founding partners of the law firm Hajjar, Sutherland and Peters. He is a member of the board of directors for J. Black’s Feel Good Kitchen and on the board of governors for the University of Texas Club, according to a biography on the law firm’s website.
Sutherland is accused of responding to an online advertisement for a prostitute. An undercover police officer placed the ad, and Sutherland responded June 19, an arrest affidavit stated. He and the officer met at a hotel where Sutherland agreed to pay $60 for sexual intercourse, it said.
Sutherland’s law firm, Hajjar, Sutherland and Peters, issued a statement on the arrest.
“All of us at Hajjar Sutherland & Peters LLP are disturbed by the recent news involving Judson Sutherland,” it states. “We expect our attorneys and staff to comport themselves with class, dignity and in such a way as to reflect the values and ethics of this firm. It is up to the partners of Hajjar Sutherland & Peters LLP to set that example. To the extent that such an example was not set, we will deal with that internally.”
Sutherland has been a partner at the law firm for nine years, officials at the firm said.
The Austin Under Forty’s website has removed Sutherland’s name from a list of winners in 2014. However, a cached version shows Sutherland was named the winner in the legal category.
Others charged during the sweep are: Delaisha Arbone Deslachy Forcey, 21; Aniqua D. Johnson, 25; Trinydon Pina, 23; Andrea Presley, 36; Kamin Ervin, 27; and Takeisha Wilson, 30.
Note: this is the paper where $60 does not mean 160.