Walnut Creek lawyer charged with 26 counts of child molestation, allegedly kept itemized files of child pornography

MARTINEZ — A longtime Walnut Creek real estate attorney has been arrested and charged with molesting three girls with alleged incidents dating back to 2014, court records show.

Jonathan Dean Bishop, 48, was charged with 26 counts related to alleged child molestation and one count of possessing more than 600 images of child pornography. He faces a life sentence if convicted.

Bishop remains jailed in lieu of $22 million bail. His arraignment has been set for Jan. 9, before Judge Patricia Scanlon.

Bishop, a longtime Bay Area resident, now lives in Florida. He was arrested Dec. 13 at the Oakland airport after returning to the East Bay to visit family, and he allegedly brought a hard drive containing child pornography for the trip.

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Bishop practiced real estate law in Walnut Creek, under the Bishop Law Group. Both the firm and his license to practice in California remain active, according to the firm’s website and California State Bar records. The firm’s site says it specializes in “personalized, high-quality, and cost-effective representation,” and frequently represents realtors, subcontractors, and homeowner associations.

This newspaper is not revealing how Bishop knew the alleged victims to protect their identity. Authorities say the investigation was opened after one of the girls came forward to police, and it escalated from there. Almost all of the charges accuse Bishop of molesting girls 14 years old or younger, according to the criminal complaint.

When police searched Bishop’s belongings, they found pictures depicting sexual abuse of the victims, which were contained in itemized files each containing one of the girl’s names, according to authorities.

Bishop’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.