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Former Baltimore judge joined prosecutor’s office months after misconduct allegations
Kevin M. Wilson resigned from the District Court in April 2024 before a disciplinary hearing over allegations that he touched an attorney without consent. Three months later, State’s Attorney Ivan Bates hired him for a $131,000-a-year role reviewing incoming criminal cases.
Former Baltimore District Court Judge Kevin M. Wilson joined the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office in July 2024, three months after resigning from the bench amid allegations that he inappropriately touched a female attorney at a professional event.
Wilson works as an assistant state’s attorney in the office’s charging division, which handles cases entering the city’s criminal justice system through Central Booking, the office said. He earns $131,000 a year. The division works remotely, and Wilson has little to no interaction with the public, said James Bentley, the office’s chief of communications.
Wilson previously worked as a Baltimore prosecutor from 2000 to 2013, when then-Gov. Martin O’Malley nominated him to the District Court. He served as a judge for just over a decade.
Maryland’s Commission on Judicial Disabilities filed public charges against Wilson in November 2023 over an encounter at a May 18 continuing-education event hosted by the Bar Association of Baltimore City’s Young Lawyers Division. The event at the Maryland Club brought attorneys together with judges for practice advice and conversation.
The commission’s charging document alleged that Wilson touched the attorney’s leg as she stood to leave a private dinner after the event, then touched her again beneath her skirt and on her buttocks. It said other attorneys witnessed the conduct, and that one told Wilson to stop because his behavior was inappropriate. The attorney left the venue, according to the charging document.
Wilson acknowledged touching the attorney’s leg but denied touching her buttocks and disputed that anyone told him his conduct was inappropriate. In a written response to the charges, his lawyers said he believed their interaction was mutual flirtation. They also said that, after learning the attorney had felt uncomfortable, Wilson recognized his interpretation was wrong and apologized. The response said he began meeting twice a month with a counselor to improve his interpersonal skills and awareness of power dynamics.
The commission had planned a hearing for May 2024. Wilson resigned in April, and the hearing did not take place, leaving the allegations without a disciplinary hearing.
Bates said Wilson’s prior prosecutorial experience, including felony trial work, was an asset to the office. Asked about public concerns over the hire, Bates said his office takes allegations of sexual assault seriously, but noted the charges were not litigated in court. He said Wilson’s work had presented no issues to date.
The allegations were brought through the judicial discipline process, not a criminal trial. Wilson’s resignation ended the planned disciplinary proceeding before witnesses could testify at a hearing.