A prosecutor in Denver, Colorado, who was fired after she faked inappropriate messages to frame a coworker for sexual harassment, has been disbarred.
Yujin Choi, a prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney’s Office, falsely accused a criminal investigator in the office, Dan Hines, of sexual harassment, The Denver Post reported. A ruling on January 3 by the Office of Presiding Disciplinary Judge, which oversees professional discipline for attorneys in Colorado, determined Choi should be disbarred for her actions.
“Unremitting honesty must at all times be the backbone of the legal profession,” the ruling said. “When a lawyer repeatedly employs deceit and dishonesty to harm another person, that lawyer corrodes the integrity of the profession and threatens to compromise public confidence in the legal system.”
Choi joined the Denver DA’s office in May 2019 and was fired in November 2022 after an internal investigation found she had lied about her accusations against Hines. She made her first false allegation against Hines in 2021, and even though her accusation hadn’t been proven, he was transferred and told not to contact her. Over the next two years, Hines faced professional and reputational harm due to Choi’s continued false allegations against him. He has filed a lawsuit against Denver District Attorney Beth McCann over his treatment.
“I just felt like it was like a bad dream,” Hines told the Post. “You attempt to hold yourself to a certain standard, and when someone comes along and makes those kinds of allegations against you, it destroys you… I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody. After the first one, when I had no way to disprove it, I was living in hell… I felt there was no way out, that everything I had lived for and stood for was destroyed. I felt like it was an embarrassment.”
Choi’s first false allegations against Hines claimed he made an inappropriate sexual comment to her. He vehemently denied the allegation, and an investigation found no evidence to support Choi’s claim.
“I was told I couldn’t talk about it, but word got out about that allegation, and you can imagine the perception it creates — ‘He must have done something wrong because they moved him,’” Hines told the Post.
He also said that the investigation was incomplete and that leadership at the DA’s office seemed to suggest Choi should be believed – a regular sentiment in the workplace – and that she was courageous for reporting the allegations. A spokesperson for the DA’s office told the Post that the “investigations were handled appropriately.”
In 2022, Choi began her second round of allegations against Hines, this time claiming he sent her inappropriate text messages. She provided purported screenshots of the messages, but when internal investigators searched Hines’ phone, they found he had not sent any messages to Choi. Choi’s records, however, showed Hines had sent her messages.
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Investigators went to Verizon to get the correct records and found that Choi had sent herself the messages after changing the name in her phone to make it appear as though the messages came from Hines. The investigation also found that Choi had altered her phone records to include Hines’ phone number before she provided those records to the probe.
When investigators asked to search her phone and laptop, Choi said she had accidentally dropped her phone in the bath and spilled water on her laptop computer, which destroyed the devices just days before they were supposed to be examined. The disciplinary panel found her explanation “not plausible.”
Hines also told the Post that he hopes his lawsuit will change the way internal investigations are conducted. He is seeking a public apology for the handling of Choi’s first allegation and wants to see her charged for her actions, though prosecutors have already declined to bring charges.
Few, if any, prosecutors are ever disbarred for their actions, no matter how grievous. One famous example is Mike Nifong, who pursued a case against innocent Duke Lacrosse players even after it became clear their accuser was lying.
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[[{“value”:”
A prosecutor in Denver, Colorado, who was fired after she faked inappropriate messages to frame a coworker for sexual harassment, has been disbarred.
Yujin Choi, a prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney’s Office, falsely accused a criminal investigator in the office, Dan Hines, of sexual harassment, The Denver Post reported. A ruling on January 3 by the Office of Presiding Disciplinary Judge, which oversees professional discipline for attorneys in Colorado, determined Choi should be disbarred for her actions.
“Unremitting honesty must at all times be the backbone of the legal profession,” the ruling said. “When a lawyer repeatedly employs deceit and dishonesty to harm another person, that lawyer corrodes the integrity of the profession and threatens to compromise public confidence in the legal system.”
Choi joined the Denver DA’s office in May 2019 and was fired in November 2022 after an internal investigation found she had lied about her accusations against Hines. She made her first false allegation against Hines in 2021, and even though her accusation hadn’t been proven, he was transferred and told not to contact her. Over the next two years, Hines faced professional and reputational harm due to Choi’s continued false allegations against him. He has filed a lawsuit against Denver District Attorney Beth McCann over his treatment.
“I just felt like it was like a bad dream,” Hines told the Post. “You attempt to hold yourself to a certain standard, and when someone comes along and makes those kinds of allegations against you, it destroys you… I wouldn’t wish this upon anybody. After the first one, when I had no way to disprove it, I was living in hell… I felt there was no way out, that everything I had lived for and stood for was destroyed. I felt like it was an embarrassment.”
Choi’s first false allegations against Hines claimed he made an inappropriate sexual comment to her. He vehemently denied the allegation, and an investigation found no evidence to support Choi’s claim.
“I was told I couldn’t talk about it, but word got out about that allegation, and you can imagine the perception it creates — ‘He must have done something wrong because they moved him,’” Hines told the Post.
He also said that the investigation was incomplete and that leadership at the DA’s office seemed to suggest Choi should be believed – a regular sentiment in the workplace – and that she was courageous for reporting the allegations. A spokesperson for the DA’s office told the Post that the “investigations were handled appropriately.”
In 2022, Choi began her second round of allegations against Hines, this time claiming he sent her inappropriate text messages. She provided purported screenshots of the messages, but when internal investigators searched Hines’ phone, they found he had not sent any messages to Choi. Choi’s records, however, showed Hines had sent her messages.
CELEBRATE #47 WITH 47% OFF DAILYWIRE+ MEMBERSHIPS + A FREE $20 GIFT
Investigators went to Verizon to get the correct records and found that Choi had sent herself the messages after changing the name in her phone to make it appear as though the messages came from Hines. The investigation also found that Choi had altered her phone records to include Hines’ phone number before she provided those records to the probe.
When investigators asked to search her phone and laptop, Choi said she had accidentally dropped her phone in the bath and spilled water on her laptop computer, which destroyed the devices just days before they were supposed to be examined. The disciplinary panel found her explanation “not plausible.”
Hines also told the Post that he hopes his lawsuit will change the way internal investigations are conducted. He is seeking a public apology for the handling of Choi’s first allegation and wants to see her charged for her actions, though prosecutors have already declined to bring charges.
Few, if any, prosecutors are ever disbarred for their actions, no matter how grievous. One famous example is Mike Nifong, who pursued a case against innocent Duke Lacrosse players even after it became clear their accuser was lying.
“}]]
