TOWANDA, Pennsylvania (WETM) – Bradford County District Attorney Chad Salsman released a statement saying he will not resign in light of the sexual assault charges announced this week by the Pennsylvania Attorney General.
Salsman has faced sexual assault and witness intimidation on multiple counts for allegedly raping women in his office and obstructing the grand jury investigation. He is also charged with promoting prostitution, obstruction of justice and indecent assault.
Salsman told reporters Wednesday afternoon that he was “innocent” while being escorted to a Pennsylvania State Trooper vehicle in Towanda. Salsman has posted $ 500,000 bail with 10 percent security and waived his preliminary hearing WBRE.
Salsman’s testimony is that while he will remain in his position, he has left the work of the trial and courtroom to his assistants.
According to the criminal complaint, Salsman has represented numerous women in criminal and custody matters, some of whom “have struggled with addiction problems, have been sexually abused in the past, or suffered from other vulnerabilities that Salsman exploited”.
The criminal complaint alleges that many of the attacks took place in Salsman’s office, where he raped the women on his desk and then “took them to his private bathroom to clean up with paper towels or cleaning wipes.”
The following describes the statements made by each victim as they appear in the criminal complaint. The details are disturbing and may not be suitable for all readers.
Victim 1: “LJ”
In 2017, Salsman represented a woman for harassment and possession of drug paraphernalia. Salsman did not bill “LJ” but ordered her to provide nude photos and videos of herself and her friend.
According to the report, Salsman groped the victim in his office several times. In one incident, he allegedly ordered her to undress and raped her.
Both the victim and her friend testified before the grand jury.
Victim 2: “HH”
In December 2017, Salsman was appointed by the court to represent “HH” in custody proceedings. When she stood in for them, Salsman reportedly “made suggestive comments and touched them under the table during the trial.”
HH repeatedly turned down requests for videos and sex with Salsman, but after Salsman said he was not being “adequately compensated for his portrayal,” HH sent him nude pictures.
Salsman also sent HH a video of a naked woman in a bathtub without her consent. The woman in the video says Salsman comforted her after a death in the family and asked for pictures and videos.
HH testified that “Salsman told her he masturbated dozens of times a day” and that he sent her pictures of her home without her knowledge.
In April 2019, HH changed her representation and went to Salsman’s office to obtain her file. During the meeting, Salsman reportedly “forcibly grabbed her breasts” in his private office.
HH also met with Salsman after he was elected district attorney and wore a wired device in conversations where he allegedly told her not to cooperate with the grand jury investigation.
Sacrifice 3: “AM”
Salsman began representing “AM” in a custody case at the age of 19. She contacted him in May 2018 about a DUI arrest where she said she had no money to pay for his representation.
AM claims that Salsman started “approaching” her after that conversation and that Salsman said, “his wife did not give him what he needed at home”.
AM then announced to the grand jury that Salsman had raped her on his desk in his private office and had instructed her to clean up his bathroom with paper towels. He is said to have touched her breasts and buttocks, forced oral sex and raped her several times without her consent.
AM testified that during the investigation he urged her to get information from other women and that he raped her once after becoming a prosecutor.
Sacrifice 4: “LW”
“LW” testified to the grand jury that Salsman was representing her boyfriend and another man who had previously sexually abused her. Salsman also hired LW and her boyfriend to repair or remodel his private office and borrowed their money.
In October 2018, LW visited Salsman’s private office to transfer her final loan repayment. During the visit, Salsman took the money and “instructed LW to undress,” saying that he “wanted to see what they (her breasts) looked like because he said they were big through my shirt”.
LW obeyed and was raped by Salsman in his office, after which he told her to clean up the paper towels in his bathroom. Salsman reportedly told LW not to “say a word to anyone or he would ruin their life.”
Sacrifice 5: “NA”
“NA” was represented by Salsman in a custody case in which he was charging few fees.
In December 2018, Salsman “began touching NA’s breasts in his office and inappropriately touching them during a lawsuit.”
Salsman then asked about NA nude pictures and said that “she could compensate him for his legal work by having sex with him. As he put it: ‘I could slam your p *** y and you wouldn’t have to pay.’ “
The criminal complaint states that “NA has entered into a consensual sex-for-service relationship with Salsman.” However, when their “relationship turned sour, Salsman became more aggressive and threatening.”
Salsman told her that he had told her that no one could know what had happened between them.
Employee statements
Members of Salsman’s staff testified to the grand jury, confirming that he had “one-on-one” meetings with female customers and that Salsman “went to great lengths to keep his interactions with his customers secret from staff” .
Salsman also asked his secretaries to play music or turn on air conditioning or a noise-making machine to “mask any noise or noise occurring in his office”.
Staff also testified that “female customers have been seen leaving Salsman’s office in tears or distress.”
A former employee told the grand jury that she and Salsman had a consensual sexual relationship.
Another employee testified that Salsman, in his capacity as district attorney, “ordered her to report to him everything that happened within the grand jury,” even though the judge was ordered not to disclose her testimony.
The criminal complaint goes on to say that while “many other women were placed in the same position, these events took place outside the statute of limitations and therefore cannot serve as a basis for criminal charges”.
The Statute of limitations for sexual assault in Pennsylvania is 12 years, with exceptions for child sacrifice and other cases.
Salsman’s case has been referred to the 45th statewide grand jury by former Bradford County District Attorney Daniel Barrett.
Bradford County Commissioners chairman Daryl Miller tells 18 News that Salsman remains the district attorney pending resignation.
If Salsman is found guilty of a crime, there are grounds for removal by a judicial review board. The current assistant district attorney is Brian Gallagher, who he says has held the position since 2016 LinkedIn Page.
Miller says he has had no contact with Salsman and that the commissioner’s office has “no say or control” over Salsman’s removal or his resignation.
Miller believes that if Salsman resigns, there could be a special election to replace him by mid-February.
“The criminal justice system is now in control of the whole process and we just have to wait and see how it all turns out.”
