Preview:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA
No. 107 / 07-0507 Filed September 21, 2007 IOWA SUPREME COURT ATTORNEY DISCIPLINARY BOARD, Appellee, vs. MICHAEL D. BLAZEK, Appellant.

On review of the report of the Grievance Commission.

Grievance Commission reports respondent has committed ethical misconduct and recommends revocation of respondent's license to practice law. LICENSE REVOKED.

Michael J. Carroll of Babich, Goldman, Cashatt & Renzo, P.C., Des Moines, for appellant.

Charles L. Harrington and Teresa A. Vens, Des Moines, for appellee.

2 STREIT, Justice. An Iowa attorney was convicted in federal court of four felonies involving sexual misconduct and children. Because he is unfit to practice law, we revoke his license. I. Background Facts and Prior Proceedings.

Michael Blazek was admitted to the Iowa bar in 1987. He is currently serving a 235-month sentence in a federal prison in Marion, Illinois. He was convicted on February 20, 2004 of the following felonies: (1) attempted enticement of a minor for sex, (2) traveling in interstate commerce to engage in sex with a minor, (3) receipt of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and (4) possession of visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. His conviction was affirmed on

appeal. United States v. Blazek, 431 F.3d 1104 (8th Cir. 2005), cert. denied, 547 U.S. 1082, 126 S. Ct. 1800, 164 L. Ed. 2d 538 (2006). The eighth circuit court of appeals summarized the underlying facts: In July 2001, Blazek entered an internet "male for male" chat room from his computer in Des Moines and then sent an instant message asking "Brian" for his age and location. Brian responded that he was a 15 year old male in Chicago. Brian was in fact Inspector Dan Everett of the Chicago Police Department posing as a teenage boy to investigate internet crimes against children. Blazek and Brian discussed their respective sexual experiences. Blazek stated that he preferred "[y]ounger smooth guys" and described his sexual preferences. Blazek and Brian continued their instant message and e-mail conversations for fifteen months. At the end of May 2002, Blazek became more explicitly sexual, inviting Brian to give him a massage and suggesting it could lead to sex. In July, Blazek gave a detailed description of how he would massage Brian and said, "[s]ometimes when guys get playful they lose their clothes." In September, Blazek engaged in graphic sexual conversations, discussing oral sex and suggesting a three-way sexual encounter with one of Brian's friends.

3 Blazek arranged to meet Brian on October 26 at a restaurant in Chicago. Blazek was arrested when he arrived at the restaurant from Iowa. . . . After Blazek traveled to Chicago, postal inspectors obtained a warrant, searched his apartment, and seized his computer. They found hundreds of images and movies of child pornography. Id. at 1106

Download IOWA SUPREME COURT ATTORNEY DISCIPLINARY BOARD vs. MICHAEL D. BLAZEK.pdf

Iowa Law