A Tampa man is in the Polk County Jail, accused of lying under oath at least 5 different times in cases involving child porn and child sex abuse. Chester Kwitowski is accused of pretending to be an expert witness in the cases in which he was brought in by different defense attorneys.
"With what, if it were truthful, would be an impressive resume." Sheriff Grady Judd explained.
Judd says his credentials are what he lied about.
Judd says he claimed to have a Master's Degree from USF in a program they don't have, he severely embellished his military record, he claimed to have top secret and secret clearance that federal agencies say he was never granted and also claims to have several computer certifications that he never obtained.
Judd says his department started investigating Kwitowski after listening to him during a child sex battery case.
"The detectives are saying he's testifying to stuff that just isn't accurate in any form or fashion." Judd said.
Kwitowski testified 5 different times in Polk County.
Two attorneys that hired Kwitowski told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska that they hired Kwitowski by word of mouth. One attorney said that a cell mate of his client told him about Kwitowski, he told his attorney, and the attorney contacted Kwitowski. No other vetting was done.
"It doesn't take a lot of deep digging to figure out at least a portion of this is false," Judd said.
Another attorney said she only finds expert witnesses on the Justice Administrative Commission website.
Judd says his testimony didn't impact any guilty verdicts, but he says it may have impacted plea deals. Judd says the folks who were convicted may be able to request a re-trial. But if the state wants to bring back any cases, that cannot be done.
"If there are those that were found not-guilty, we can't re-try them anyway." Judd said.
Kwitowski also claims to have been an expert witness in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee and Federal Courts, according to Judd. It's not clear if those are lies on his resume or if he was indeed involved in more cases. Judd says his department is reaching out to those agencies.
Sheriff Judd also says there are many statements they have not been able to confirm or refute.
"We had to get him out of the expert field as quickly as we could because who knows what other cases that Chester, who represents the molester, may be involved in." Judd said.
So far, there is no evidence to show that any defense attorney did anything illegal, although Judd says it is worrisome that no background check was done on Kwitowski. But, the Sheriff's Office is still investigating the possibility of criminal actions from attorneys as well.
Kwitowski also has a criminal record dating back to 2001. He was arrested for Battery and Domestic Violence in Hillsborough County. He was also arrested in Pinellas Park for False Reports of Commission of Crime.
