Three years ago, Steve Lile went from being one of the state's top judges to just another attorney because of a sex scandal at the state Capitol.
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This morning, the state Supreme Court decided Lile couldn't even be an attorney any more.
Justices disbarred Lile, 60, "from the practice of law" because of the seriousness of his misconduct while a judge on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
The Supreme Court agreed he had committed multiple violations of the standards of conduct including actions that "undermined public confidence in the integrity of the judicial system."
Lile declined comment today. Last year, he said at a disciplinary hearing, "I was plain stupid. I wasn't thinking straight."
Lile resigned in 2005 from the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
The Supreme Court found Lile had submitted false travel claims and false expense claims while a judge. He also had involved himself improperly in his son's drug cases and after an administrative assistant, Dawn Lukasik, was arrested in December 2004 for an alleged drug violation. The assistant was not charged at the time.
Lile's troubles began after he hired Lukasik, a former lover, as his administrative assistant at the court at a time when his own marriage was failing. He said last year he discovered from her that they had a son together and the son, Loran Michael Wilson, was having drug problems.
She was 18 when their son was born. Lile was married and then 37.
The Supreme Court said he traveled at taxpayers' expense from June 24 to Oct 29, 2004, almost on a weekly basis to see his incarcerated son or to take care of legal and other issues involving his son.
"On some of the trips he was accompanied by Dawn Lukasik," the Supreme Court wrote. "He filed travel claims seeking reimbursement for these personal trips, claiming he attended project conferences, projects or meetings of the Regimented Inmate Discipline (RID) Program offered by the Department of Corrections. But there were no RID project conferences, projects or meetings on the dates for which he filed travel claims."
The Supreme Court said the false expenses claims were for purchases made by Lukasik, who was remodeling his office, and her daughter. "Some of those claims were for personal items unrelated to the remodeling," the Supreme Court said.
Before quitting as a judge, Lile reimbursed the state $1,523.64 for the travel and $1,560.43 for the "office" purchases made by Lukasik, or her daughter.
Lile was investigated by the state attorney general but not charged.
Lukasik was charged three times in 2005 on offenses related to methamphetamine and she admitted she had a drug problem. She eventually went to prison.
Lile represented Lukasik in the drug cases and married her when she was released from prison, records show.
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I find it curious that the emphasize is on the sex when it was the 'book-cooking' and THEFT that got them in the most trouble. The people who are so dead-set against abortion are also against sex, but their party is the one most filled with sex perverts and abusers. Can anyone explain that to me? BTW; it's time to educate these people: Having sex makes babies and that's all they seem to care about. So will someone PLZ inform them???
Wow. The h was dumb but this seems like a pretty small-time deal. Are we supposed to be outraged by the $1,500 worth of falsified travel claims when our own government is flushing trillions down the toilet every day -- and often to cronies. Our financial system is in meltdown and we're worried about $1,500? This is just prurient interest, plain and simple.
to xerxes and john, you want to put all the blame on bush, but if i remember right, clinton was the one that had a sexual relationship with the girl in the dress. oh wait, that was a coffee stain on the dress, wasn't it?
Randy, I understand the M.Y.O.B. But what is S.T.F.U??? I'm not very smart...but I can sense you're a forgiving person. I agree with you! If people worked on their own problems, they wouldn't sit around and judge others on their problems. Give the judge a chance; he makes errors too. And drug problems??? It's comes in epedemic proportions, people!!! Wake up and look around at your family and friends. Professionals are not exempt.
Are we supposed to feel sorry for this guy???? Am I wrong? It looks like this was written so that we would feel sorry for him. What the heck did Bush have to do with it? This guys was thinking with his small brain. He is the one responsible for his behavior. Him and everyone else like him should be exposed. I for one am sick and tired of all the blame for Bush, Clinton, Republicans and Democrats. It is time we all stood up and demand a better accounting of what our public officials are doing. Get a grip people.
The Bush policy of avoiding responsibility for failure. When called upon to accept responsibility label those people as engaging in the "blame game". He is a registered republican so I expect this reply from him.
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Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.