In the jail, the attorney and inmates are separated by a glass partition, so there does not appear to have been contact between the attorney and the inmates.
Winner faces a daunting collection of charges, including four counts of conspiracy to commit crime, three counts of unlawful trading with inmates, violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, and “use of communications facilities to violate provisions prohibited. There seems a great deal of repetition in the charges, which are all felonies.
I am surprised by the sheer audacity and stupidity of the alleged crimes, let alone the depravity. Most jails have visual surveillance of these rooms, even though they cannot listen to the conversations. Moreover, when dealing with prisoners, it was only a matter of time before this alleged arrangement would become known.
Winner is a graduate of Mercer University Law School.
There will be a lot of pressure to plead out this case, which almost always involves an agreement to surrender your license in exchange for a short jail term or probation. The introduction of drugs will make jail time highly likely as well as the tendency of courts to be tough on lawyers who betray their profession and society.
Source: AJC