Three months after he resigned from the bench amid allegations that he inappropriately touched a female attorney, District Court Judge Kevin M. Wilson secured another taxpayer-funded job as a prosecutor in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, The Brew has learned.

The July 2024 hire by Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates has not been previously reported.

Wilson works as an assistant state’s attorney in the charging division, which processes new cases that come through Central Booking, said James Bentley, the office’s chief of communications. Wilson could not be reached for comment.

The job is a return to the office for Wilson, who worked as an assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore from 2000 until 2013, when he was nominated to serve as a district judge by then-Gov. Martin O’Malley.

He served on the bench for just over a decade before he faced public charges from Maryland’s Commission on Judicial Disabilities, which handles discipline against judges.

Young Lawyers Event

In November 2023, the commission issued public charges against Wilson alleging that he engaged in “repeated non-consensual touching of a female attorney following a professional event.”

According to documents filed in the disciplinary case, Wilson attended a continuing legal education event on May 18, 2023, that was sponsored by the Bar Association of Baltimore City’s Young Lawyers Division.

The event, called “Join Our District Court Judges for Practice Tips on Tap,” was intended to give attorneys a chance to mingle with members of the bench and ask questions about courtroom practices to a panel of judges.

Wilson did not serve on the panel, but agreed to attend the event at the Maryland Club, where he met the female attorney for the first time, his lawyers wrote in a January 2024 response to the charges. The female attorney is not named in the case documents.

After the panel, Wilson and a group of other people, including panelists and the female attorney, went to another part of the Maryland Club for a private dinner. The charging document alleges that when the female attorney stood to leave for the evening, Wilson touched her leg in an “up and down movement” as she had her back turned to him.

“Two of the other attorneys at the table reported witnessing Judge Wilson’s behavior,” the Commission on Judicial Disabilities’ investigative counsel wrote in the charging document. One of the attorneys later reported that she “told Judge Wilson his conduct was inappropriate and directed him to stop.”

Wilson moved his hand away after the warning, according to the charging document, but the female attorney then felt his hand on her leg again. He moved his hand under her skirt and touched her buttocks, investigative counsel wrote. Another attorney witnessed this behavior, too, and the female attorney who had been touched left the venue.

Investigative counsel charged that Wilson violated rules of judicial conduct concerning decorum, promoting confidence in the judiciary, and bias, prejudice and harassment.

Wilson’s Response

In a written response to the charges, Wilson admitted to touching the attorney’s leg, but denied touching her buttocks. During the Bar Association event, Wilson said, he and the female attorney “participated in what Judge Wilson genuinely perceived as reciprocal flirtation.”

The attorney made remarks that Wilson considered flirtatious, according to his written response, including saying that she wore “sexy heels” to the event because she didn’t get to dress up often and a comment about “loss of consortium” claims, which can refer to sexual intimacy.

The flirtation continued during the meal after the event, Wilson’s lawyers wrote, and the female attorney stood very close to Wilson when she got up to leave, so Wilson placed his hand on her “ankle, calf and lower hamstring.” He acknowledged that another attorney witnessed the touching but denied that anyone told him his conduct was inappropriate.

“Judge Wilson formed a genuine belief that their interactions were mutual and welcomed”  – Response by Wilson’s lawyers.

“Based on his perception of [the attorney’s] behavior throughout the evening, Judge Wilson formed a genuine belief that their interactions were mutual and welcomed,” lawyers Steven Silverman and Andrew Harvey wrote.

However, based on the attorney’s comments to investigative counsel during the investigation, “Judge Wilson realizes and acknowledges that his honest belief was incorrect, and his touching made her feel uncomfortable, which he sincerely apologizes for and deeply regrets,” the lawyers continued.

Wilson began voluntarily meeting with a female counselor twice a month to “improve his interpersonal skills, better recognize power dynamics, and avoid similar situations in the future,” they wrote. “He is dedicated and committed to learning from this experience and rectifying his mistakes.”

Hired at $131,000 a year

The Commission on Judicial Disabilities planned to hold a hearing on the charges against Wilson in May 2024, but he resigned in April, ensuring that the hearing would not take place.

Soon after, he applied for a job in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office and was offered the position working in the charging division, Bentley said.

“Mr. Wilson previously served as an Assistant State’s Attorney and brought extensive experience to the position, including felony trial experience,” Bentley said in a written response to questions from The Brew. “The office considered his skill set and background assets.”

Wilson has “little to no interaction with the public” and the entire charging division works remotely, Bentley added. The former judge earns $131,000 a year in his current job.

“Our office takes allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously”  – Ivan Bates.

The Brew also asked what State’s Attorney Bates would tell members of the public who are concerned about Wilson’s employment in his office.

“I would tell them that our office takes allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously,” Bates said in a written response.

“I would explain that this was not litigated in court, where witnesses and their stories are heard and examined, and as we all know, our system presumes an individual is innocent until proven guilty in court,” he continued. (Wilson resigned before the charges could be litigated.)

Wilson’s experience and expertise have been an asset to the office and the fight for public safety, Bates added.

“He serves in a unit that assesses every criminal matter that enters the Baltimore City system,” Bates said. “To date, we have had no issues with his employment or work product.”

• Madeleine O’Neill is a freelance reporter and frequent contributor to The Brew. She can be reached at moneill28@proton.me