Christos Vasiliades, Baltimore Lawyer Accused Of Threatening Rape Victim With Deportation, Pleads Guilty To Obstruction Of Justice

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore attorney who had been accused of threatening a rape victim with deportation and tried to bribe her to drop the case against his client pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstruction of justice, the Maryland Attorney General's Office said.

Christos George Vasiliades, 41, faces a maximum of five years in prison when he's sentenced next month.

The attorney general's office said Vasiliades approached the rape victim and her husband in April 2017. He reportedly told the couple they could be deported if they show up to court because immigration authorities would likely be at the courthouse.

Officials said Vasiliades then bribed them not to show up.

Lawyer Accused Of Bribing Rape Victim, Threatening Deportation

A month later, police set up a sting and gave the couple recording devices to get Vasiliades to talk about the arrangement on tape. He reportedly again offered the couple $3,000 if they refused to show up for court and the case against his client, Mario Aguilar-Delossantoso, was dropped.

Court documents said Vasiliades told the victim's husband "you know how things are with Trump's laws now; someone goes to court, and boom, they get taken away."

In 2017, Attorney General Brian Frosh told WJZ Vasiliades tried to take advantage of a climate of fear in the city's immigrant population.

Vasiliades had originally pleaded not guilty.