Married lawyer who hypnotized female clients so he could sexually abuse them is jailed for 12 years after one suspicious woman wore a hidden camera to meet him

  • Michael Fine, 59, was sentenced to 12 years in jail on Monday in Ohio 
  • Former attorney hypnotized six female clients and sexually abused them
  • Police investigated after women lost track of time during their meetings
  • One woman also claimed her bra was disheveled after leaving his office
  • He was charged with kidnapping and attempted kidnapping of six clients 

By Emily Crane For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 17:08 EST, 14 November 2016 | Updated: 21:32 EST, 14 November 2016

A former attorney who used his hypnotic skills to control unwitting female clients for his own sexual gratification has been jailed after one suspicious woman wore a hidden camera to meet him.

Michael Fine, 59, was sentenced to 12 years in jail on Monday at Lorain County, Ohio after pleading guilty to charges relating to the sexual abuse of six women he had hypnotized.  

Police began investigating the married divorce attorney back in 2014 after two women came forward saying they believed they had been hypnotized after losing track of time and being unable to recall meetings and phone calls with Fine.

Former attorney Michael Fine, 59, was sentenced to 12 years in jail on Monday in Ohio after he used hypnotic skills to control unwitting female clients so he could sexually abuse them

One of the six women also recalled being 'wet in her vaginal area' and that 'her bra was disheveled' after she left his office or had conversations with him. 

A female client, who had hired the attorney for a custody dispute in 2013, told police she thought Fine had used his hypnotic skills on her several times on the phone and during meetings in his office.

She opted to record two telephone conversations with Fine during which he used explicit sexual language before ending the calls discussing legal matters.  

Investigators wired the woman with video and audio recording equipment for a meeting in Fine's office last November, according to court documents. 

Police entered the room when Fine began discussing sex acts.

Fine was arrested last year after being accused of hypnotizing six of his female clients and then sexually assaulting them during meetings with him

Another woman, who hired Fine in September to represent her in a divorce, suspected she had been hypnotized after Fine started discussing relaxation and meditation techniques during their first meeting.

She told police the same thing happened in their next three meetings and she felt as though she had lost time. 

Police began investigating the married divorce attorney back in 2014 after two women came forward saying they believed they had been hypnotized after losing track of time and being unable to recall meetings and phone calls with Fine

Publicity of Fine's criminal investigation prompted other women to contact authorities with their suspicions.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of kidnapping and one of attempted kidnapping - and each carried a sexual motivation specification.

One of his victims read an impact statement to the court on Monday, describing how Fine manipulated her three weeks after her divorce was finalized.

'I have come to realize it was not my vulnerability that caused this to happen,' she said in court, according to The Chronicle. 

'I went to Michael Fine with help in getting out of a terrible and abusive situation. I paid him to help me. He used my trust and his position as my attorney to gain information about my vulnerabilities. 

'He then used that information not only to protect and defend me, but also to manipulate, hurt and take advantage of me.' 

Statements from his other victims were read out in court, including a woman who now suffers from panic attacks and struggles with relationships. 

The 59-year-old was sentenced on Monday in Lorain County, Ohio to 12 years in jail

'He gets a 12-year sentence. I get a life sentence. Is 12 years long enough? Is this enough time for the pain, hurt and suffering that I now have to live with?' it read.

'This will be a part of who I am to become. This is now part of my being – not by choice, but by circumstance. Twelve years compared to a lifetime – just doesn’t seem fair, does it?' 

The judge ordered Fine to be classified as a registered sex offender.

Fine, who was charged with taking advantage of the six women in August, agreed to permanently surrender his law license, which means he no longer can practice law in the United States.

Defense attorney Robert Housel said Fine had difficulties in his life, voluntarily gave up his law license and acknowledged what he had done by entering guilty pleas.

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