A former Jefferson County municipal prosecuting attorney has pleaded guilty to having sexual contact with a woman who was a defendant in several cases he was prosecuting at the time.
He also admitted to lying to the FBI about his encounter with the victim, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office announced.
James Isaac “Ike” Crabtree, 40, of Crystal City pleaded guilty Aug. 18 to a misdemeanor civil rights charge for deprivation of rights under the color of law and to a felony charge for lying to FBI agents investigating the case, court records show.
Crabtree faces up to a year in prison and a possible fine of up to $100,000 for the civil rights charge and up to five years in prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000 for the felony charge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He will remain free on bond until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 15 in front of U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, court records show.
According to his plea agreement, Crabtree admitted to subjecting a woman to sexual contact on March 8, 2021, at his office during an after-hours meeting about her cases while acting in his role as a municipal prosecutor.
He also admitted to making false statements to federal agents on March 3, 2022, when he denied kissing her, taking off her clothing and touching her.
Crabtree was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 20.
He initially pleaded not guilty to both charges on April 21, court documents show.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. attorney Hal Goldsmith is prosecuting the case.
The Jefferson County Municipal Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is in the Jefferson County Justice Center, 400 First St., Hillsboro, and is separate from the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which is in the Jefferson County Courthouse, 300 Main St., Hillsboro.