Former Ramsey County public defender convicted of sexual misconduct

A former Ramsey County public defender convicted of sexual misconduct avoided prison time Monday; his victim called the sentence “extremely lenient.”

Adam Kujawa, 38, was sentenced in Washington County District Court to four years probation and 90 days in jail, to be served under electronic home monitoring, after he agreed to a plea deal and admitted to amended charges of sexual misconduct on his boat on Forest Lake in May 2021.

Kujawa had worked as a public defender in Ramsey County for many years but resigned on Feb. 28, a day after pleading guilty to fifth-degree sexual abuse and sexual misconduct without consent. He had entered an Alford plea, meaning he maintains his innocence while acknowledging that the state likely has enough evidence to convict him.

Judge Siv Mjanger followed the terms of Kujawa’s agreement and sentenced him to four years in prison. He must register as an offender for ten years, undergo a psychosexual examination and follow recommendations.

The woman, now 38, said in court in a prepared statement read by a victim’s attorney that she had been the victim of Kujawa’s “psychological, physical and sexual abuse” for over three years, “something that cannot be expressed in words.”

“He took so many things from me that I love, and he took my time, my safety, my freedom and myself from me and those who love me,” she said. “His abuse left me a completely different person.”

Prosecutors had previously called the deal a “global solution” because it settled criminal cases in three other Minnesota counties in which Kujawa was accused of similar conduct toward the woman.

Following Kujawa’s conviction, Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said in a written statement that sexual abuse cases were among the “most important and difficult cases” his office prosecutes.

“Sexual assault takes a tremendous and horrific toll on victims,” ​​he continued. “I hope that the resolution of this case provides some closure for the victim. I am pleased that Kujawa has been held accountable for his crime through two convictions, a prison sentence and registration as a sexual assault offender.”

Further charges dropped

In December 2021, Washington County prosecutors filed two criminal complaints against Kujawa – one for the Forest Lake incident, the other for alleged sexual assault at his St. Paul apartment in September of that year.

Washington County handled the second case for the Ramsey County District Attorney’s Office due to perceived conflicts of interest. Mjanger dismissed the case last year because there was insufficient evidence to support a charge of third-degree sexual abuse by force or coercion.