Prominent IP Attorney's Wife Hit With Child Porn Charges in Texas

The wife of a prominent Texas intellectual property attorney stands accused of child pornography charges. Let's learn more about the couple...

From former Gibson Dunn associate Moshe Gerstein to former Allen & Overy partner Edward De Sear to former Arnold & Porter associate Joshua Gessler, whenever there are allegations of a lawyer’s involvement in a child pornography scandal, we’re here to bring you all of the disgusting details. But why leave all of the disturbing activity to the men?

Last week, Erika Perdue, the wife of a “prominent Dallas intellectual property attorney,” was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. Mrs. Perdue, a woman who’s been classified as a sultry “socialite,” has allegedly been trading kiddie porn with others — including undercover FBI agents — every day while her husband was at work, since at least 1999.

So who is the “wealthy attorney” that she’s married to? And what else do we know about these charges?

Erika Perdue’s official rap sheet lists four counts of shipping, receiving, and possessing child pornography, each punishable by ten years in prison. The Hair Balls blog of the Houston Press has all of the lurid accusations:

[A] wealthy 41-year-old Dallas woman has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. According to investigators, at least some of it consisted of extremely graphic images of toddlers being raped by adults.

On Friday, WFAA reported that federal agents raided the $1.4 million home of 41-year-old mother Erika Perdue, the wife of a prominent Dallas intellectual property attorney.

They’d been tracking her computer usage for months, and according to court documents, they had evidence that under the handle “Classybitch,” Perdue trafficked “visual depiction[s] of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.” During a raid last week, the feds carted off several computers that are reportedly filled with the stuff.

One wonders how a woman could go by the name “Classybitch” while allegedly dabbling in child porn, but that’s a debate for another day. By the way, Erika Perdue is a mother and lives across the street from a popular neighborhood playground. Luckily, Mrs. Perdue’s own daughter was not reported to have been involved in any of the graphic videos and photos.

Sponsored

At this point, Mrs. Perdue must be cursing the fact that her husband, Mark D. Perdue, decided to practice intellectual property law instead of criminal defense. Mr. Perdue, a reportedly wealthy man, was formerly a partner at Storm LLP, a boutique IP firm. He also had ties to Shore Chan Bragalone DePumpo LLP, where he served as of counsel. According to the Dallas Central Appraisal District website, the couple’s home (pictured at right; click to enlarge) is valued at $1,444,180, and Mr. Perdue is listed as the property’s sole owner.

Mark Perdue also presumably purchased his wife’s vehicle — a 2010 neon green Chevy Camaro with vanity plates that read “MY SYN.” Perhaps he thought that she was trying to be cutesy with those plates, but could they be read as an embodiment of her alleged guilt? After all, Erika Perdue allegedly told investigators that she “collected so much child pornography” that she was having trouble keeping track of it all.

At the end of the day, Mrs. Perdue may suffer a fate worse than that of our own Biglaw wife, a woman who longed for her husband’s spring bonus — and that’s a possible 40-year prison term.

Erika Perdue: Feds Bust Dallas “Socialite” for Huge Hoard of Child Porn [Hair Balls / Houston Press]
University Park woman accused of peddling child porn [WFFA-TV]
University Park socialite allegedly involved in child porn [WFAA-TV]

Sponsored