The first week of the trial of a former San Antonio lawyer accused of trading legal help for sexual favors has wrapped up.
Bold accusations were made in a Wilson County courtroom Thursday against Mark Benavides. Several women testified, claiming Benavides coerced them into performing sexual acts while he recorded them.
Some of those graphic recordings were shown in court earlier this week, resulting in one juror fainting.
The common theme with all of these victims: They felt they had no choice
They all felt if they didn't perform the sexual acts, they would go back to jail or Benavidez would not give them proper legal representation.
“He said one of the perks of sleeping with him was that he would get my cases dropped,” one victims said. “That’s something that he promised.”
The victim went on to say that she thought Benavides was a bad person and feared he might falsify a charge or plant evidence against her.
“I agreed to it because I said to myself, ‘I probably shouldn't go against my lawyer who is trying to have sex with me, that probably wouldn't be a good idea,’" she recalled.
Prosecutors also showed several DVD’s in court they claim belonged to Benavides. They were labeled with victims’ names and sexual acts performed in each video.
The former lawyer also faces sexual assault charges.
A total of six victims are expected to take the witness stand. The trial will continue Monday morning.