Special committee: Nottingham may have made false statements

KUSA - The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals says former Chief Judge Edward Nottingham may have made false statements in testimony.

In a final order Thursday, the Judicial Council of the 10th Circuit also dismissed four complaints against Nottingham because he officially resigned Wednesday as a Judge.

A special committee for the court began investigating Nottingham in 2007 after the first complaint was filed in the court about him. Three other complaints were filed against Nottingham in the last year and a half.

During its investigation, which included numerous interviews, review of credit card, telephone and computer usage records and inspection of computer hard drives, the committee determined that Nottingham may have made false statements about the allegations and about his use of his work computer during a transcribed interview.

The document goes on to say: "Chief Judge Henry initiated (a) misconduct complaint... against Judge Nottingham on October 1, 2008, alleging that he had been a client of prostitution business in violation of Colorado, had misused his court-owned cell phone in making calls to prostitutes, and had made false statements during the investigation."

The council could have taken a number of actions against the judge but since he resigned officially Wednesday, the council stopped its investigation and dismissed the complaints against him.

However, 9Wants to Know has learned the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a criminal investigation into the allegations against him and the Colorado Supreme Court's Office of Attorney Regulation is reviewing Nottingham's law license.

Nottingham was the chief federal judge for Colorado who presided over the insider-trading trial of former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio.

The first complaint stemmed from a 9Wants to Know report in 2007 that said Nottingham spent more than $3,000 at a topless nightclub in two nights. He testified in his divorce case that he could not remember how he had spent the money because he had a lot to drink.

A second complaint was filed in September 2007 after another 9NEWS report where a handicapped woman said the judge misused his authority in parking in a handicapped space and backed up towards her when she was sitting behind his vehicle in her wheelchair.

In March 2008, another investigation was launched after a 9NEWS report said Nottingham had used his court-owned cell phone to call a prostitution business and that his name and cell phone number appeared in the client list of the escort agency.

On Oct. 10, after another 9NEWS investigative report, a misconduct complaint was filed by a woman alleging she was a former prostitute and Nottingham was a client of hers.

She further alleged Nottingham asked her to lie to federal investigators about the nature of their relationship to say that she was not a prostitute and that he had not paid her for sex.

Nottingham told the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals he was stepping down as of Oct. 21 and that his resignation was effective Oct. 29.

The Judicial Council found that his resignation was "in the interests of justice and the Judiciary."

For additional infromation, visit http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/index.php.

If you have any news tips, please email Deborah.Sherman@9NEWS.com