Federal prosecutors have indicted Carl Charles, an attorney with Lambda Legal, on a felony charge for allegedly making false statements under oath.

The indictment, made public on Monday, claims that Charles lied during a judicial inquiry regarding a legal challenge to a gender-affirming medical ban for transgender youth. Charles has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In 2022, Alabama enacted a law making it a felony for healthcare providers to administer puberty blockers, surgical procedures, or hormone treatment to anyone under 19.

Several law firms and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, Lambda Legal included, quickly filed two lawsuits contesting this legislation.

Once the case reached U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke, who was appointed by Trump, the attorneys withdrew their original claims and substituted them with a new plaintiff.

A subsequent investigation by the Judiciary Committee found that 11 lawyers had “intentionally tried to evade the random litigation allocation process” for U.S. District Courts in Alabama.

In February, Burke sanctioned Charles and his colleagues Melody Egan and Jeffrey Doss for attempting to manipulate the system, fining Charles $5,000 and dismissing Egan and Doss from the case.

Burke’s ruling noted that the lead attorney in this high-profile case seemed to be actively seeking to avoid their designated judges by dropping one case and filing new claims in a different federal district.

During the inquiry, Burke claimed that Charles did not initially refer to U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, an appointee of Carter’s and a prior supporter of the transgender plaintiffs. Charles later corrected himself, saying he called Thompson’s clerk shortly after his first statement, explaining his initial falsehood as a “lapse of memory.”

Burke expressed skepticism toward Charles’ explanation, accusing him of “repeated and deliberate omissions of key facts, as well as bad faith.”

On Tuesday, Lambda Legal issued a statement supporting Charles, noting that he has appealed Burke’s sanctions to the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 11th Circuit.

The statement described the federal charges as a “shocking act of overreach,” arguing that the government shouldn’t penalize lawyers for advocating causes it opposes.

“For more than three years, Carl Charles has been subjected to unjust judicial actions that tarnish his reputation and undermine his efforts to support our most vulnerable communities,” it stated.

“We firmly stand behind Carl and all attorneys who consistently uphold the highest ethical and professional standards as they work to champion the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals.”