Lawyer, now prosecutor, accused of assaulting clients

A Pennsylvania county prosecutor was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting women who were his clients in criminal and child custody cases when he worked as a defense attorney.

Bradford County District Attorney Chad Michael Salsman was charged with three counts of sexual assault, five counts of indecent assault, witness intimidation, obstruction, and promoting prostitution.

A grand jury heard women say he groped them, sought nude photos and pressured or forced them into sexual acts, sometimes on his office desk.

“Many of Salsman’s clients struggled with addictions, had a history of being sexually abused, or suffered from other vulnerabilities which Salsman exploited,” the jurors wrote in a report issued Friday. “He used his knowledge of their vulnerabilities to overcome their lack of consent and sexually assault them.”

His lawyer, Sam Stretton, said Salsman denies all the allegations.

“And my investigation seems to support that proposition,” Stretton said. “So we will vigorously try this case. This will not be a plea.”

Stretton said he has found no evidence of forced sex.

“He picked these victims because they didn’t have another choice,” state Attorney General Josh Shapiro told reporters at the Bradford courthouse. “Because he thought they would be easy to silence. And likely they would be less believed if they ever came forward.”

Salsman was in custody at the nearby state police station and being processed Wednesday afternoon, Shapiro said. He waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday, and bail was set at $500,000. Salsman expected to post 10% of it and be released later in the day, Stretton said.

Salsman’s status as district attorney has not changed, and his political fate will be up to residents of Bradford County and the board that investigates allegations of wrongdoing against lawyers, Shapiro said.

“We’re going to try to get an early trial,” said Stretton, Salsman’s lawyer. “If we win, we win. If we lose, of course there’s not much we can do to save his position.”

Salsman, 44, a Republican, has been the top prosecutor in the county along the New York line since early 2020.