← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · hqz
Thread ID: 6422 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2003-04-30
2003-04-30 21:09 | User Profile
[url=http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/74629.htm]http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/74629.htm[/url]
BRIBE-SUSPECT JUDGE SITS ON OTHER SIDE OF BENCH
By ERIC LENKOWITZ
April 30, 2003 -- The Brooklyn judge arrested for allegedly running a corrupt courtroom where justice was traded for cash and gifts made a brief appearance in court yesterday, but was allowed to remain free on bail. Judge Gerald Garson, 69 - who is charged with bribery and misconduct - was ordered by Judge William Garnett to return to court June 10 for a pre-trial hearing, and his $15,000 bail was continued.
"We have no comment," Garson's lawyer Stan Bandelli said after the proceeding, as he and his client escaped from the eighth floor down a stairwell and into a waiting black Lincoln Town Car.
Garson faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
He turned himself in last Wednesday after an eight-month probe, in which he was caught on camera receiving money and gifts, including a plane ticket to Bali, in exchange for favorable rulings for matrimonial lawyer Paul Siminovsky.
At one point during the investigation, Garson wore a wire to help prove judgeships were being sold by Democratic Party bigwigs for upward of $50,000.
Rabbi Ezra Zifrani, 66, and his daughter, Esther Weitzner, 36, also appeared in court yesterday.
Free on $5,000 bail, they face conspiracy charges that could mean a year in jail.
Siminovsky, a retired clerk, a court officer and others also were arrested in the elaborate bribery scandal. All but one of them, Israeli businessman Nissim Elmann, also appeared in court yesterday. A bench warrant was issued for Elmann.
2003-05-01 18:05 | User Profile
Ya shoulda seen the picture of Esther. One of those wig-type Jewesses. It's gotten to the point where Jews could get their own episode of Cops. "Bad Jews Bad Jews, Whatcha Gonna Do?"