Casper Businessman Accused of Sexual Assault Hires Lawyer Who Defended Kobe Bryant
The attorney who will be taking over as lead counsel in the defense of a Casper businessman accused of raping an unconscious 20-year-old woman has considerable experience in such cases, having successfully defended people accused of triple homicide, antitrust violations and sexual assault.
Pamela Robillard Mackey claims an accomplished career, with perhaps the most visible piece being her representation of now-retired Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, who was accused in 2003 of sexually assaulting a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado.
Prosecutors dropped that case after the alleged victim refused to testify. A civil lawsuit was settled out of court several months afterward, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Defense Attorney Ian Sandefer told Natrona County District Attorney Mike Blonigen on Monday that Mackey will be taking over as lead counsel for 55-year-old Tony Scott Cercy, who faces one count each of sexual assault in the first, second and third degrees after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman who was intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness.
Charging documents allege Cercy threatened to kill the alleged victim if she reported anything.
Cercy, who was arrested on Friday, is now free after posting $100,000 cash-only bond and appearing in Natrona County Circuit Court on Monday. A preliminary hearing to determine whether the case will be bound over for trial in Natrona County District Court will likely be held within 20 days.
Mackey is no stranger to working in the public view. She also represented Colorado Avalanche Goalie Patrick Roy, who was charged in a domestic violence case. Charges in that case were also dropped.
In a third high-profile case which saw three felony counts of child sexual assault filed against Vincent Roy Margera, who played the character "Don Vito" on the MTV show "Viva La Bam," Mackey saw her client convicted on two of those counts.
Mackey graduated with honors from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1981 before continuing on to The George Washington University Law School, where she obtained her Juris Doctor degree -- also with honors -- in 1985. She was executive editor of The George Washington Law Review.
After graduation, she joined Davis, Graham & Stubbs in Denver, where her practice mostly involved product liability. She then moved to Haddon, Morgan and Foreman -- also in Denver -- in 1987, leaving in 1989 to serve as Deputy State Public Defender for five years before returning in 1994.
Mackey also held a teaching position within the Harvard Law School's Trial Advocacy Workshop.
Her successes include charges being dismissed, as well as juries finding her clients not guilty in all counts in cases involving allegations of triple homicide, sexual assault against a physician, environmental crimes, antitrust violations, tax evasion and tax fraud, as well as charges of securities fraud and theft stemming from failed real estate projects.
Among over a dozen other distinctions, she was named one of the top investigations lawyers in the world by Who's Who Legal for 2014-2016; the same group rated her one of the top business defense lawyers in the world for 2015-2016.
Best Lawyers in America named her Lawyer of the Year in various aspects of criminal defense for the years 2012, 2013 and 2017.
Mackey has given a number of speeches, including, "Preparing and Trying a Sexual Assault Case;" "Courts and the Media: The High Visibility Case;" "Using Social Networking as an Investigative Tool;" and "A Courtside Seat: Representing Kobe Bryant."
Her current practice focuses on "criminal defense, complex civil litigation, environmental litigation, and government investigations," according to her biography on the firm's website.