Former DA Serra pleads guilty to felony extortion

Faces 12 years and sex offender status

Former 7th Judicial District Attorney Myrl Serra could face up to 12 years in prison and will have to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty in Montrose District Court Wednesday, October 19 to criminal extortion, a class-four felony, and unlawful sexual contact, a class-one misdemeanor.

Serra, who was appointed district attorney in 2006, was arrested by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation September 30, 2010 on suspicion of official misconduct, indecent exposure and unlawful sexual contact, all related to Serra’s behavior toward female co-workers in his Montrose office. The charge of criminal extortion was added later.
According to a press release from the state Attorney General’s Office, “The unlawful sexual contact charge involved three victims. In pleading guilty, Serra acknowledged that sufficient evidence exists for a jury to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“As part of the plea agreement, Serra could face up to 12 years in prison and will be required to register as a convicted sex offender. A Montrose jury previously convicted Serra of three counts of violating the conditions of his bond, a felony, on August 31, 2011,” it says. “Serra also faces a mandatory prison sentence following his conviction at trial for a felony bond violation involving one of his three victims. The sentence imposed will run consecutive to any sentence the judge levies on the criminal extortion and unlawful sexual contact charges.”
Serra is scheduled for sentencing at 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 19, 2012 in Montrose District Court.
 The 7th Judicial District covers Montrose, Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, San Miguel and Ouray counties.