Elisha Anderson

Detroit Free Press

A once-popular local TV anchor turned Detroit politician stood before a judge today, admitted he had illegal sex with a minor and agreed to serve up to 15 years in prison as punishment for his actions.

Charles Pugh, 45, who pleaded guilty to two felonies in Wayne County Circuit Court today, must also be on the Sex Offender Registry for life, receive sex offender counseling and not have any unsupervised contact with minors as part of a plea deal reached in the case.

A sentence agreement requires the ex-Detroit City Council president and former anchor at Fox TV (Channel 2), to serve 5½ to 15 years with the Michigan Department of Corrections.

“I think it’s justice, because the most important thing is that people know that he’s a sexual predator,” Pugh’s accuser, Austin Williams, said after the hearing when he spoke publicly to reporters and allowed his face to be shown.

During the hearing in Detroit today, Pugh admitted to having sex with the then-teenager on at least two occasions, in 2003 and 2004, when Williams was under the age of 16 — and unable to legally consent.

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Pugh pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and prosecutors agreed to dismiss three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, which carry a maximum life prison sentence. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 9.

Pugh wore green jail garb and repeatedly answered “yes” to questions about the crimes he said he committed. He told Wayne County Circuit Judge Thomas Cameron that he was 31 when they occurred.

“The shame that he put on myself … he now has to feel that for the rest of his life,” Williams said while speaking to reporters. “And that, that’s going to be justice.”

Williams previously testified that he met the TV personality at the Fox TV (Channel 2) station in March 2003 when Pugh worked there and said he started having sex with Pugh later that year, when he was 14.

Williams, now 28, testified he never had an official internship with Fox 2 but said he thought of himself as Pugh's intern and assistant and said Pugh repeatedly told him not to tell anybody about the sex acts.

Williams was initially at Fox 2 to perform with a group and said today the consequences that Pugh must face as part of the plea agreement are “adequate punishment.”

Pugh, who never posted a $150,000 cash bond and remains behind bars, had several relatives in court today. They declined comment leaving the courtroom.

Pugh’s attorney, Delphia Burton, also declined to comment on the case after the hearing.

Maria Miller, a spokeswoman for the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, said the defense requested a plea in the case.

“The prosecution agreed to negotiate because it was determined to be in the best interests of justice,” she said in an e-mail. “And the victim was very supportive of the plea agreement.”

A big factor in agreeing to the deal, Williams said, was many people were going to be called to testify, and he wasn’t going to make them go through it.

He said he has no plans to file a civil lawsuit.

Williams went to police last year, more than a decade after the alleged incidents, and said earlier this year he decided he wasn't going to let Pugh "do this to any other kids."

During a court hearing last week, the judge presiding over the case ruled that three other men, who prosecutors contend were groomed by Pugh and solicited for sexual purposes when they were teens, would be able to testify if the case went to trial.

One of those people accused Pugh of sexually grooming him during a mentorship program at Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men in Detroit. Criminal charges were not filed in that case, but Pugh was ordered to pay $250,000 as part of a civil trial.

Pugh fled Detroit in 2013 when the scandal became public. The person involved is not being named by the Free Press, but his attorney, William Seikaly, said he viewed today’s developments in the case as a “great vindication” for his client’s mother, adding "unkind" words have been said about her.

“She took the position this was not going to happen to her son and wasn’t going to happen to anybody else’s son in the city of Detroit,” Seikaly said. “And refused to simply let it go.”

Williams testified previously that he didn't say anything for years because he thought he was the only one and didn't want opportunities he had in his life to be taken away. He said he later learned of text messages that Pugh allegedly sent to Seikaly's client, believed Pugh pursued younger men and filed a complaint with police in November.

Pugh was arrested in New York, where he was living, earlier this year after charges were authorized in the criminal case.

Williams said he hopes the case sends a message to people that have a liking for people under the age of 18: Don’t follow through with actions.

“It’s your actions that you can control,” he said. "So don’t do it. Stop. Think.”

Contact Elisha Anderson: 313-222-5144 or eanderson@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @elishaanderson