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Corey Kolcharno, a former assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County, is facing four felony counts of promoting prostitution for targeting four women who struggled with addiction, had a history of being sexually abused, and were financially strapped, PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Monday, Aug. 8.
“Kolcharno picked these victims because they had limited choices, because he thought they would be easy to silence, and less likely to be believed if they ever came forward," Shapiro added.
The victims accused Kolcharno, of Peckville, of initiating contact by requesting nude photos or worn underwear in lieu of payment for legal services between 2018 and this year.
He would then transition into requesting sex acts in exchange for legal services or payment, prosecutors said.
One victim allegedly told investigators that although Kolcharno knew she was in recovery, in jeopardy of incarceration, and struggling financially, he offered her $500 in exchange for sex.
Kolcharno did not end up charging the victim for the legal services provided during that period, the AG said.
The former attorney also allegedly told a woman he was representing that he would take $500 off her bill if she had sex with him. She also wasn't charged.
Kolcharno apparently asked for nude pictures and sex in exchange for payment from a single mom who was struggling financially and seeking help in her brother's case, prosecutors said.
After each encounter, he paid the mom $500, authorities said. The victim noted that she "felt ashamed."
A search of Kolcharno’s cell phone turned up hundreds of nude or sexually explicit images of his female clients, Shapiro said.
"Cases like this often present great difficulty for the victims and require an enormous amount of courage for the victims to come forward," said Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Richard, Deputy Commissioner of Operations.
Kolcharno worked with the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office from 2005 to 2011.
He was released on $20,000 bail, records show.
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