Former Public Defender Suspended for Texting Prostitute.
In November of 2012, then Public Defender Christopher Hollander answered an online ad that offered “Escort Services” by “H.S.”. The online ad listed a fake name and a phone number. Hollander saw the same phone number on a police report and put a name to the phone number.
In November of 2012, Hollander texted H.S. while the cell phone was being held by the Indianapolis, IN police department. When an officer noticed the text, he impersonated the woman. Hollander indicated he could help H.S. with her situation and would “work with her” in regards to his attorney fees.
A meeting was arranged in December of 2012 between Hollander and a person he believed to be H.S. at a hotel. Hollander kept the appointment and attempted to hug and kiss an officer impersonating H.S. In addition, he indicated that he wanted sex in exchange for legal services. Police rushed the room when Hollander started to unbutton his shirt.
Hollander was charged on January 17, 2013 with soliciting a prostitute.
On March 30th, 2015, the ABA Journal reported the Indiana Supreme Court had decided to suspend Christopher Hollander for a year.
One thing is for certain, he likely won’t be texting a prostitute anytime soon...
In this case, the Indianapolis, IN police didn’t require a review of Hollander’s cell phone. Cell phone forensics would likely have shown when exactly Hollander sent the message to H.S., perhaps whether or not the message had been read by H.S., the tower he was connected to when he sent the message and more. It may also have indicated a pattern of Hollander having propositioned other prostitutes using text messages.
If you believe that you have a case that involves a cell phone, remember: get possession of the cell phone and to capture its data early in the investigation - we call this “Rapid Seize and Freeze”.
Don’t wait months, weeks or even days hoping the data is still on the Mobile Device. Generally, the sooner the data on the Smartphone or Mobile Device is captured, the better.
For more information about Cell Phone Forensics check out this page:
