Federal judge may resign amid sex probe

DENVER, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. District Court judge in Denver is considering resigning amid allegations he spent thousands of dollars on strippers and an escort service, sources said.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has been investigating whether Chief U.S. District Judge Edward W. Nottingham Jr. spent $3,000 on strippers in one night and whether he used a local escort service, The Denver Post reported Friday.

The Rocky Mountain News reported that Nottingham is going to resign, but a source told The Denver Post that he has not made a decision to resign.

A former prostitute reportedly filed a complaint with the 10th Circuit alleging Nottingham had asked her to mislead investigators by denying that he had paid her for sex.

Since federal judges are appointed to the bench for life, the appeals court cannot force Nottingham to resign. If he were to step down, he would have to submit a letter to the court, said Gregory Langham, clerk of the U.S. District Court in Denver.

Nottingham could face impeachment by Congress. He was nominated to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.