Summary: A former attorney that used hypnosis to sexually abuse clients was sentenced to 12 years in prison but not before listening to a powerful victim impact statement.
The victim of sexual abuse whiles under hypnosis by her attorney read a victim impact statement before the sentencing judge today. Visiting Judge Patricia Cosgrove heard the woman’s experience with former attorney Michael Fine where she declared she was a victim no more to the most painful experience in her life.
Read Lawyer Hypnotizes Clients for Sex.
Fine was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for using hypnosis to control six women into performing sexual acts for his satisfaction. The woman was abused by Fine only three weeks after her divorce was final. She learned of what had happened to her when a friend sent her a link of the news article on the case. She said, “It confirmed my worst fears. That my attorney, the man who had come to my rescue through a very painful divorce, the man who had made himself invaluable to me through this extremely difficult and vulnerable time in my life, the man who helped me with every challenging issue I encountered in my life and the man who built up my confidence when I was feeling anything but confident by calling me special, unique and beautiful, was sexually misusing many of his other clients as well.”
She explained, “I have come to realize it was not my vulnerability that caused this to happen. I went to Michael Fine with help in getting out of a terrible and abusive situation. I paid him to help me. He used my trust and his position as my attorney to gain information about my vulnerabilities. He then used that information not only to protect and defend me, but also to manipulate, hurt and take advantage of me.”
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Fine, 59, pleaded guilty to five counts of kidnapping and count of attempted kidnapping. He is now classified as a Tier 2 sexual offender, which requires registration every 180 days for 25 years. Other charges were dropped during an agreement reached during private pretrial negotiations. Two other victims read statements in court.
Another victim said, “He gets a 12-year sentence. I get a life sentence. Is 12 years long enough? Is this enough time for the pain, hurt and suffering that I now have to live with? This will be a part of who I am to become. This is now part of my being – not by choice, but by circumstance. Twelve years compared to a lifetime – just doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
To learn more about the case, read Attorney Using Hypnosis Gets Caught Red-Handed.
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Photo: inquisitr.com