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Judge Murdoch Arrested for Rape of Prostitute, Videotaped by Woman

Albuquerque’s chief criminal judge was arrested on charges he raped a prostitute, and an undercover officer bought a video recording of the alleged attack, according to a criminal complaint, reported from Huffington Post.

State District Judge Pat Murdoch was arrested Tuesday for criminal sexual penetration and intimidation of a witness. He  was scheduled for a first court appearance on Thursday.

The complaint against him says a detective first heard about the reported attack and the recording from an informant, who helped the investigator buy the video on DVD for $400.

The woman told police she met with the judge about eight times and he paid her about $200 each time. She said he forced himself on her during one visit, and she returned and secretly recorded a second forced encounter.

She said that after making the recording, she began to worry about her safety because when she posed hypothetical situations to the judge about a woman making allegations against him, he replied he would use police and his connections to take care of the situation.

Described as a well-respected member of the judicial community, Murdoch has presided over numerous high-profile cases, including fraud allegations involving former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron and three other defendants.

Read full report from Huffington Post