Lawyer Who Hypnotized Women for His Own Sexual Pleasure Sentenced to Prison

An Ohio lawyer who hypnotized a half-dozen female clients and controlled them for his own sexual gratification was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison.

Michael Fine, 59, pleaded guilty in September to using hypnosis to take advantage of the women, some of whom had come to him for legal help following recent divorces, The Chronicle-Telegram reports.

During meetings with his victims, Fine would put them in a trance and order some of them to have orgasms on command or masturbate against their conscious will, according to the Washington Post.

The victims left the sessions with no recollection of the sexual commands and only remembered the legal matters discussed. Police launched an investigation into Fine after one victim came forward to say she had suspicions of wrongdoing during the meetings.

“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,” one of his victims said in court, according to the Chronicle-Telegram. “He then used that information not only to protect and defend me, but also to manipulate, hurt and take advantage of me.”

Fine had pleaded guilty to five counts of kidnapping and one count of attempted kidnapping—each of which carries a sexual motivation specification. The married father was classified as a sexual offender and has been disbarred, the Post reports.

Fine’s wife, Aneta Fine, defended her husband and said, “this was something that came out of no where,” according to the Chronicle-Telegram. “He has been a loving husband and father to our two girls.”