Baltimore Circuit Court judges and State’s Attorney’s Office employees might testify at the trial later this year for the former city homicide prosecutor accused of using his law enforcement authority to stalk ex-girlfriends, a state prosecutor said during a hearing Wednesday.
The Office of the State Prosecutor brought 88 criminal charges against Adam Chaudry in December, alleging he subpoenaed phone records for over two years to harass women he had dated.
On Wednesday, state prosecutors offered Chaudry a deal: Plead guilty to three counts — operating a theft scheme, obtaining telephone records without authorization and stalking — and be sentenced to five years in prison with all but one year suspended. There would have been a term of probation for each charge.
Chaudry, 43, appeared in reception court over Zoom from his attorney’s office and rejected the offer, meaning the case is headed for trial.
Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn tentatively scheduled his trial for Dec. 5. Phinn said she needed to consult with Judge Audrey Carrion, chief of the Baltimore Circuit Court, about bringing in a judge from a different jurisdiction to preside over Chaudry’s case.
His trial is expected to go on for at least two weeks, with the state calling approximately 30 witnesses.
“We have quite a few witnesses in this case, including from the Judiciary and the State’s Attorney’s Office,” Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David said.
Chaudry’s defense attorney, Patrick Seidel, a former Baltimore homicide prosecutor who had worked alongside his now-client, told Phinn he filed legal papers that need to be resolved before — and that could impact — the trial.
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One of the pleadings was a motion to dismiss the case for prosecutors’ failure to comply with the statutory provisions of the Office of the State Prosecutor, Seidel said.
He declined to comment, citing the ongoing case.
The brief and largely procedural hearing Wednesday offered some insight into how the case against the former homicide prosecutor will be handled and who Chaudry’s trial will feature.
State prosecutors say Chaudry went to extremes to track women he dated.
In one instance detailed in court documents, he made a spreadsheet listing the ages, phone numbers, addresses and Instagram pages of an ex-girlfriend’s friends, family and coworkers. He allegedly monitored her phone calls and sent emails about their travel.
Under the guise of a special investigation, he subpoenaed a woman’s phone records 33 times after she ended their relationship, according to court records.
In May 2021, investigators with the state prosecutor’s office and Maryland State Police executed a search warrant related to the case at the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office.
An earlier version of this article included an incorrect title for Deputy State Prosecutor Sarah David. The Sun regrets the error.