ELLSWORTH, Maine — A former Gouldsboro man convicted last year of assault has begun serving his sentence at Hancock County Jail, just days before his complaint against a local prosecutor is expected to be considered at a hearing in Bangor.
Vladek Filler, 43, who now lives in suburban Atlanta, was acquitted in May 2011 of having raped his wife but was found guilty of misdemeanor assault. He began serving his resulting 21-day sentence on Wednesday, Oct. 17, according to Hancock County Jail records.
The Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar is scheduled to hold a hearing next week on allegations that Filler has filed against Hancock County Assistant District Attorney Mary Kellett. The hearing, which is open to the public, is scheduled to take place at Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor on Monday, Oct. 22, and Tuesday, Oct. 23, beginning at 9 a.m. each day.
In an 18-page disciplinary petition that Filler filed in December 2010 with the board, he accuses the prosecutor of violating nine rules of the Maine Bar. Kellett, who led the prosecution against Filler at his first trial in January 2009, is accused of making improper statements during her closing arguments at that trial and of withholding evidence and interfering with subpoenas issued by Filler’s defense attorney.
For the past few years, Filler has been living in Lawrenceville, Ga., with his two sons, whom he was granted custody of in his divorce. He has contended since he was first accused of raping his then-wife in Gouldsboro that his marriage was deteriorating and that she had fabricated the allegations in order to win custody of their boys.
Filler was convicted in January 2009 of gross sexual assault but was granted a retrial after the state supreme court determined that evidence that was barred from testimony should have been allowed and that Kellett made prejudicial statements to the jury during her closing arguments.
Filler was acquitted of felony gross sexual assault during his second trial, held last year in Bangor.
Filler’s second trial was prosecuted by First Assistant District Attorney Paul Cavanaugh.
Filler’s most recent appeal was argued before the Law Court in June of this year. On July 3, the court affirmed Filler’s assault conviction.
Information about why Filler’s sentence coincides with the hearing against Kellett was not available Saturday afternoon.
Follow BDN reporter Bill Trotter on Twitter at @billtrotter.
Maybe so he’s not available for the hearing?
well he should have asked for a stay on his jail time because of that. they can have his testify by telephone or circuit tv that has been done in court. or he may have done a deposition that would be submitted by his attorney
I’m sure he did… I highly doubt it was a “coincidence” he was ordered to serve this sentence just before this hearing?
it has happened that it may not have been a coincidence. maybe it was planned that way. timing is everything . i went through something like that myself recently that it may have been deliberate on the DAs and the courts part
Her hearing was set for last month and his jail time for this coming week, but her hearing was rescheduled, seems the day after he reports to jail was the only time available.
Terrorizing the ex and filing charges against the prosecutor ain’t no way to go through life, Vladek.
Terrorizing the ex?? Who’s terrorizing who? Isn’t making false statements to police and causing criminal action against your estranged spouse to obtain leverage in a family court case an act of terrorism (and a crime)? And it’s not just a crime against the wrongly accused, but also the children involved as well? A prosecutor cannot break the law just to get a conviction in spite of the facts of a case, otherwise they are no better than any other criminal. The board of overseers should set an example here. These prosecutorial witch hunts against innocent fathers is getting out of hand.
Do you actually know any of these people? No? Thought not. Spoken like a bitter divorced father. LOL This is the real world, partner, and that “Whole truth and nothing but the truth” angle is from TV shows. Anybody seeking justice will find just us.
??? Haha… are you one of these delusional people who have watched too many John Wayne movies, and thinks the rules (or the laws) don’t apply to you.. (just to everyone else)? Well, “partner”, there are plenty of former police officers and attorneys who have discovered over the years, that the laws DO apply to them too. I just hope these kids caught in the middle will eventually find some peace, and are able one day to put this pain behind them.
Assume much, high-ho? LOL What with that screen-name anyhow?
I don’t know if inocntchldrn knows them but I most certainly do. I have spent a good deal of time with Vladek and his family and have find them to be a sincere, caring group of individuals who have suffered too many injustices at the hands of over zealous prosecutors.
Jan, thanks for that. Agreed, Gawd save anybody from a DA or ADA who’s trying to get promoted, re-elected or hang onto the job.
Glad he had the resources to fight her
if you don”t stand for something, you will fall for anything, ….he is standing up, and that is a great way to go through life … he has a backbone to help him stand tall!!
Don’t know the guy, don’t know anybody who does know him — but divorces can get nasty and it’s tough to fight City Hall, particularly from the county lock-up.
In this life there are the options to be ‘right’ or ‘correct.’ Correct says that car is supposed to stop for folks in the crosswalk. Right starts from there and then looks to make sure the driver is knows that, too.
The whole courthouse and DA’s office needs to be cleaned out.
lets see what happens and see if the prosecutor did act badly. I find it hard to believe that that the police/prosecuters office or the courts heve never been questioned.. I am sure some people have spent time in jail on crimes the did not commit on a plea, just because they didn’t want to take a chance.. Also the family court system makes up their own rule along the way.
Timing is everything.
The only charge against Vladek that stuck out of the original SEVEN counts was a misdemeanor domestic assault, to wit, he was found guilty of grabbing hold of his ex’s arm(s) and pushing her into a chair. The evidence for this charge IMHO was flimsy and convoluted and I still don’t understand how the jury came to their decision of guilty but I do have my theories which I won’t go into here. The charges against the prosecutor are lengthy and serious and a citizen has every right to file a complaint when a representative of our court system abuses her power. I would hope you would do the same should you ever find yourself in that position Bill Cat.
Her hearing was set for last month but had to be rescheduled , odd it could only be rescheduled for the day after he reports to jail. Nope, nothing to see here. Move along.
“Information about why Filler’s sentence coincides with the hearing against Kellett was not available Saturday afternoon.”
How can someone RAPE their wife?
Before marriage was “redefined” years ago, husbands couldn’t have raped their wives. Now, if a husband wants sex and the wife doesn’t, it’s rape. How hard is that for you to understand? Of course, opponents of “yes on 1” in Maine won’t want to admit that marriage as it used to be defined made the wife essentially the property of her husband…
How can you ask that question? Just because you’re married to a woman they have to submit to your every whim? Sounds more like property than partnership.
Well put!
As he should, wasn’t he found guilty by a jury of his peers?