After Investigation Into Numerous Alleged Felonies, Kansas AG Charges Prosecutor With Two Misdemeanors

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office charged a rural Kansas prosecutor with two financial misdemeanors, but not alleged sexual extortion or other felonies that local and state law enforcement investigated.

A complaint filed Thursday in state court accuses Neosho County Attorney Linus Thuston of violating the Retailers’ Sales Tax Act in 2021 and misuse of public funds in 2019. {snip}

Linus Thuston

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Neosho County Sheriff Greg Taylor said he was disappointed that only two minor charges were filed against Thuston. The sheriff has investigated a dozen cases involving alleged felony crimes — including a case in which the sheriff said about 50 women provided nude photos to Thuston at his request in exchange for legal representation in his private practice. The sheriff considered the activity to be sexual extortion, and he said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation had reviewed the evidence.

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In July, Thuston admitted in court to soliciting nude photos from a woman he later used as an off-the-books confidential informant. Thuston was a witness in a case where other individuals were charged with drug crimes. Evidence in the case showed Thuston had shared secret police information with the informant about potential targets of drug busts.

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The alleged crimes documented in the standard offense reports include three instances of using confidential information for personal gain, three instances of perjury, two instances of making false information, simulating the legal process by distributing a document with the intent to mislead, intimidating a witness or victim, a violation of disseminating a criminal history record, theft by deception, forgery, interfering with the conduct of a public business, preventing reporting of victimization, and distribution, manufacture or possession with intent to distribute a simulated controlled substance.

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Kansas Reflector reported on other allegations involving Thuston in 2022, including his willingness to negotiate high-dollar diversion agreements and generous plea deals for violent crimes, alleged conflicts of interest between his public and private legal work, and an accusation that he forged a letter of support that he submitted to the state disciplinary board.