Detroit attorney predicts Pugh could get 5 years in jail with plea deal

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The former Detroit city council president Charles Pugh is expected to accept a plea deal in his child sex assault case Wednesday morning.

From local celebrity to politician to a man on the run, now it seems the Charles Pugh story will end with the former city politician and news anchor in prison, admitting he had sex with a teenage boy.

Pugh's attorney confirmed with FOX 2 that he will accept a plea deal in his underage sex case. He's charged with five counts of criminal sexual conduct - three of which could've landed him in prison for the rest of his life.

His alleged victim testified he met Pugh during a visit to FOX 2 and began a sexual relationship with the former news anchor soon after.

"I don't care if you're a candidate for president of the United States, a city council person, a teacher," attorney Bill Seikaly says. "When you abuse power and sexually harass people it leaves real scars."

Seikaly represented another young man in a civil suit against Charles Pugh. Seikaly argued Pugh used his mentorship program when he was city council president to groom his client, who was in high school at the time, for a sexual relationship.

A jury awarded Seikaly's client $250,000. Pugh was never charged with a crime and Seikaly believes he would not be facing prison time now had it not been for his client's mother.

"A woman who said I am not going to let this happen to my son, I am not going to let it happen to any other kids in this community, I am not going to back down," Seikaly says. "She is the real hero of this story."

And it was that sex scandal that motivated Pugh's present accuser to come forward. He was facing life in prison, but attorney Todd Perkins says if Pugh accepts a plea agreement he may only spend a few years behind bars.

"Given the magnitude of this, the notoriety that media outlets have given the case, transportation from New York City to Detroit, I couldn’t see anything less than five years. And I would only say five years given the excellent work by the defense attorney," he says.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office is not commenting on the reports Pugh will accept a plea deal, only saying there will be a pre-trial hearing and that all parties will be in court Wednesday morning.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates. You can watch a livestream of Pugh's court hearing Wednesday morning here