A Florida defense attorney, Hal Uhrig, who is known for his brief representation of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case, has been arrested and accused of witness tampering. The charges are related to a juvenile rape case, according to Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López.
Uhrig, associated with The Defense Group, was apprehended on Monday. The charges against him include solicitation to commit perjury and witness tampering, as Sheriff López detailed in a press conference.
The allegations stem from Uhrig’s representation of a client accused of raping a 9-year-old child. Sheriff López stated that Uhrig arranged a meeting involving his client, the victim, and her father with the intention of manipulating the case’s outcome.
Hal Uhrig, the lawyer who previously represented George Zimmerman, pictured in 2012. Uhrig has been arrested in Florida on charges of witness tampering in an unrelated case.
Sheriff López explained the alleged scheme, stating, “The point of the meeting was to keep the rapist from going to jail.” He further elaborated that Uhrig allegedly instructed the victim and her father to undertake a series of deceptive actions. These included writing a letter to the state attorney falsely claiming the rape did not occur, evading subpoenas to avoid court testimony, and committing perjury by lying during a deposition to deny the rape ever happened.
However, the victim’s family reported Uhrig’s requests to the state attorney’s office in July, which initiated an investigation by the sheriff’s sex crimes unit. The victim is now a teenager, according to the sheriff.
In a subsequent meeting, the child’s father, equipped with a recording device, met with Uhrig again. During this encounter, Uhrig reportedly asked the father to read a prepared script displayed on a computer screen, which purportedly outlined his client’s defense against the rape charges.
Uhrig, aged 75, was arrested as he entered an elevator at the Kissimmee courthouse. He has since declared his innocence to Orlando TV station Fox-35, stating, “I’m not guilty of this,” and mentioned plans to review the situation, according to reports from Fox-35 Orlando. Uhrig was released on bond and was scheduled for a court appearance on Tuesday.
Sheriff López expressed his deep concern about the allegations. He also raised the question of whether Uhrig had employed similar tactics in other cases throughout his long career. “If you’re an attorney you’ve been practicing law for a long time and there’s no way you’re going to jeopardize your career on something like this, especially at that age, it’s retirement time,” Lopez commented, suggesting a pattern of behavior. He admitted that without further individuals coming forward, the full extent of such potential actions remains unknown.
It is important to note that Hal Uhrig’s past legal work includes a brief period representing George Zimmerman, who was charged in the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted on self-defense grounds, a case that garnered significant national attention.
According to Uhrig’s bio on The Defense Group’s website, his legal background includes serving as a former assistant attorney general for Florida. Prior to his law career, he spent six years with the Gainesville Police Department before pursuing his law degree.
