Tulsa County judge under investigation
TULSA — An unconventional judge has come under investigation because of accusations he was a customer of a massage business that was a front for prostitution.
District Judge James Caputo on Wednesday called the accusations totally false and political.
“Judges and public figures today are routinely targeted by people with political or personal motivations,” he told The Oklahoman.
“It seems the more salacious the accusation the more press and attention the accusations receive. If ... such totally false accusations are being
investigated I welcome the opportunity to address them personally and fully with any investigating body,” he said. “It would appear to be no coincidence that such unfounded accusations are made less than three weeks before Election Day.”
Caputo, 59, was first elected as a district judge for Tulsa and Pawnee counties in 2010 and is up for re-election this year. The judge refused Tuesday to step down after being notified of the investigation.
A witness in an ongoing racketeering case identified the judge as a customer of the massage business, law enforcement sources told The Oklahoman. The witness claimed to have had sex with the judge.
Prosecutors filed the racketeering case against three defendants in February after state narcotics agents and Tulsa police officers investigated reports of human trafficking at the Phase 2 Spa and Phase 3 Spa in Tulsa.
Narcotics agents searched the massage business last year. Multiple employees reported the business was run “solely for the purpose of prostitution,” according to an affidavit filed with the charge. One employee was identified as a 17-year-old girl.
Narcotics agents investigated further after getting the report about the judge. At one point, an undercover agent posing as a prostitute met with the judge, law enforcement sources said. He later sent her a text about having a “threesome.”
On Aug. 31, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler recused himself and his office from deciding whether the judge should be charged. The DA declined to comment Wednesday.
The judge has drawn public attention to himself during his time on the bench. He regularly performs group wedding ceremonies, wears a pink robe every October as a tribute to breast cancer victims and brings a therapy dog to court for witnesses.
“Some ... would criticize me as having maverick methods with respect to my judicial responsibility. I agree. And, in fact, I take that as a compliment,” he said in an online campaign video.
He also has acted as a guest referee at professional wrestling events, calling himself “Mr. Justice.”
He issued a written apology a few weeks ago for sending letters to former jurors asking them to support his re-election effort.
“The letters should not have been sent,” he wrote. “The decision to send them ... did not inspire confidence in the judiciary.”
Caputo faces a former prosecutor, Tracy Priddy, in the Nov. 6 general election. He lives in Owasso.