Bank robber-turned Georgetown law professor convicted in domestic violence case

By David Thomas

July 18 (Reuters) - A Georgetown University law professor who spent more than a decade in prison for bank robbery before becoming a lawyer was convicted on Friday of multiple criminal charges stemming from a September 2023 domestic violence incident.

Shon Hopwood, 50, was found guilty by a District of Columbia Superior Court jury of three counts of simple assault, five counts of contempt and two counts of obstructing justice, federal prosecutors in Washington said Friday.

Hopwood had spent 11 years in federal prison for robbing several banks in Nebraska when he was in his early 20s. His journey from felon to Georgetown law professor was featured on a 60 Minutes segment in 2017 billed as a "story of redemption."

Hopwood's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His sentencing is set for Sept. 18 before D.C. Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur.

"A D.C. jury is demanding accountability from the batterer who not only beat his wife but was on the faculty of Georgetown Law teaching criminal law," D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement following the verdict.

Hopwood was still listed as a member of the faculty of Georgetown University Law Center as of Friday afternoon but has been on leave. A spokesperson for the law school said it respects the jury's decision and will review the matter.

"Domestic violence is horrific and antithetical to our values as an institution," the spokesperson said.

Prosecutors said police in September 2023 went to Hopwood's Washington home after receiving a call that his wife Ann Marie had been locked in the basement.

Hopwood allegedly told police that his wife was out of town, but an officer eventually found her with a broken finger and chipped tooth, which she said she sustained during a fight several days earlier. In an application for a temporary protection order, she detailed four instances in which she said Shon Hopwood hurt her.

Hopwood was originally scheduled for a non-jury trial in June 2024, but prosecutors said he tried to pressure his wife against cooperating with the government in an effort to get the case dismissed, which led to more criminal charges being filed against him.

Hopwood attended the University of Washington after he was released from prison in 2009. He eventually landed a job teaching at Georgetown University Law Center, where he became a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform and mentored Tiffany Trump, daughter of President Donald J. Trump, when she was a student there.