State prosecutor in Florida had ‘inappropriate relationship with domestic violence victim in his case and conspired with her against her ex to avoid paying child support’
- Florida assistant state attorney Abraham Elmazahi was terminated on Wednesday after an internal investigation
- The probe revealed his ‘appalling’ conduct with the victim of a domestic violence case he was assigned to
- John Neal was accused of battery by his ex-wife in September 2019
- All charges against him were dropped on February 6 after the ‘inappropriate relationship’ between his ex and Elmazahi was revealed
- Neal became suspicious of statements made by his ex about her living conditions while awaiting trial and hired a private investigator
- The PI photographed his ex-wife leaving Elmazahi’s home in Orlando
- Neal now claims they were dating and the charges were a ploy to ‘avoid paying child support’
An assistant state attorney in Florida has been fired after he was found to have an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with an alleged domestic abuse victim on a case he was prosecuting.
Abraham Elmazahi was terminated on Wednesday after an internal investigation revealed his ‘appalling’ conduct with the victim of a case he was assigned to, said Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office.
The probe began when a private investigator acting on behalf of the victim’s ex-husband, who was accused of battery in the case, revealed photos of the victim leaving Elmazahi’s house.
A complaint has been filed against Elmazahi with the Florida bar.
Abraham Elmazahi was terminated Wednesday after his ‘secret relationship’ with a victim in a domestic violence case he was assigned to was revealed and she was seen at his house
The accused, John Neal, now claims that the victim was dating Elmazahi and that the charges were an attempt to ‘avoid paying child support’.
Neal was accused of battery by his ex-wife and the mother of his children in September 2019, an accusation he has firmly denied.
All charges against him were dropped on February 6 in light of the ‘secret relationship’ between Elmazahi and the victim.
While awaiting trial, Neal became suspicious of statements the victim made about her living arrangements, he told ClickOrlando.com.
He hired a private investigator Matthew Rose to investigate further and it was revealed that the victim had registered her Mercedes at an address in Orlando associated with Elmazahi.
Rose traveled to the home where he photographed Elmazahi leaving the house. The ex-wife also left an hour later and entered her car parked outside.
Abraham Elmazahi, an assistant state attorney in Florida, was terminated on Wednesday after he was found to have an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a victim in a case he was prosecuting
The photographs were shown to the State Attorney’s Office by Neal’s attorney Mark Bender.
The attorney said the secret relationship was particularly troubling as nine additional misdemeanor charges were filed against Neal by Elmazahi after his arrest.
The prosecutor also attempted to have Neal’s bond revoked.
‘I can see them talking about how they can screw Mr. Neal even further,’ said Bender.
‘I was aghast.’
An investigation began after the photographs were shown to the State Attorney’s Office but the victim claimed that she was living in a domestic violence shelter, had never visited Elmazahi’s home and did not have a relationship with him.
She did admit that her car was registered at the prosecutor’s home.
Records show that the alleged victim’s untruthfulness about her time in the house led to all charges against Neal being dropped and Elmazahi’s termination.
Neal now claims that his ex began dating Elmazahi after he was assigned as the prosecutor of the case, according the the Orlando Sentinel and that the charges were a ruse to ‘avoid paying child support’.
‘It’s been a lie since the very beginning,’ he said.
‘I’ve been looking at my options. At this point, it’s just a crazy situation. People need to know.
‘I’m just shocked that somebody in his position would do what he has done, and I’m shocked she would do this to avoid paying child support.’
The complete details of the investigation conducted by the State Attorney’s Office were not made public.
‘This conduct is appalling and in no way represents the vision or mission of the State Attorney,’ Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala said in a statement.
The ex-wife is not being named as she claims to be a domestic violence victim.