CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A former Denver juvenile prosecutor who pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor has been sentenced to jail and probation.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office said in a release that in 2023, the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office received a case report from the Denver Police Department involving an attorney with the Denver District Attorney's Office who was encouraging a teenage boy to smoke marijuana.
The investigation revealed the boy's parents had reached out to a law firm after having recent behavioral issues with their son, the release said. An attorney with that law firm referred them to Daniel Steinhauser, now 29, who was a juvenile prosecutor with the Denver District Attorney's Office. The family had hoped their son would be able to witness a juvenile docket and see the potential consequences associated with poor decisions.
The release said Steinhauser got the teen's cell phone number from his parents and began having conversations with the boy through a texting app. In May 2023, the teen's parents began reviewing messages on the boy's phone and found conversations about smoking marijuana and concealing its use. The teen's parents reached out to the original attorney who put them in contact with Steinhauser and they agreed to report it to law enforcement, according to the release.
An investigator with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office reviewed the text messaging conversations and documented potential "grooming behaviors" in her report, the release said. Multiple texts included conversations on how to smoke marijuana without detection and how to clear it out of your system. Other messages included Steinhauser asking the teen to meet with him without his parents and to delete messages so he wouldn't get in trouble, according to the release. The two agreed to eventually take their conversations onto the social media app Snapchat.
Steinhauser was charged in October 2023 and on July 30, 2024, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
"I found the defendant's text messages deeply disturbing and inappropriate," Senior Deputy DA Jacob Kremin said in the release. "Mr. Steinhauser's conduct is inexcusable, and I commend the teen's parents for coming forward to report this alarming behavior."
Steinhauser was sentenced on Friday to 60 days in jail and five years of supervised probation. He also cannot have any contact with anyone under the age of 18.
"This defendant was able to use his position as an attorney to gain the trust of a troubled youth and his parents," District Attorney John Kellner said. "While many misdemeanor offenses often result in no time behind bars, I do believe this defendant's jail sentence is appropriate based on his blatant disregard for the law and the trust he eroded through his own actions."
