The Indiana Lawyer writes
An attorney has been suspended from practicing law after a guilty plea this spring on two felony charges tied to child exploitation.
The suspension for Guillermo Yanez began immediately, according to an Indiana Supreme Court order filed Thursday.
Yanez was initially charged in early 2025 _ only four months after being admitted to the bar _ with 11 felonies for allegedly soliciting nude photos from underage girls. He was identified then as an attorney with the Marion County Public Defender Agency. That office did not respond Friday to messages left by The Indiana Lawyer about whether he was still employed there.
Yanez was accused of having sexually explicit conversations with minors as young as 11 going back to 2022. An ex-girlfriend reported Yanez’s actions to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Yanez was 23 years old when he was charged with child exploitation, vicarious sexual gratification, child solicitation and dissemination of matter harmful to minors. Most of the initial charges were dismissed as part of his plea agreement.
Yanez had sent and requested inappropriate pictures while chatting online with a teenage girl who was in Australia, his attorney, Ben Jaffe, said in an email to The Indiana Lawyer. Jaffe said Yanez was still a student at the time.
Jaffe said Yanez is autistic and has “very underdeveloped social skills … which clearly contributed to the circumstances in this case.”
“He made some very bad choices and accepted responsibility for his criminal actions,” Jaffe wrote. “He is incredibly remorseful and has been working hard to move forward in the healthiest way possible.
“He has been one of my most responsive clients in seeking targeted help, and I have no doubt that he will comply with everything expected of him during his sentence.”
Jaffe did not respond to a question from The Indiana Lawyer on whether Yanez still worked for the public defender’s office.
Yanez avoided significant jail time but was sentenced to nearly three years of sex offender probation, according to court records. He is allowed to serve his probation in New Mexico where he lives, according to an address listed in the Roll of Attorneys.
Yanez is currently administratively suspended from the practice for not complying with continuing legal education requirements. That suspension remains in place until further order from the high court or pending the final resolution of any resulting disciplinary action.
Jaffe said Yanez lost his career and will have to adjust to life as a registered sex offender.
“No one is excusing Mr. Yanez’s behavior, and he is paying a heavy price,” Jaffe said.
The case is In the Matter of Guillermo I. Yanez, 26S-DI-209.
