April '03

Article reports that Judge Gerald Garson of the New York Supreme Court is to be arraigned "on charges that he took gifts from lawyers - including airline tickets, boxes of expensive cigars and cash - in return for favoritism toward their clients in divorce cases." The judge is "also suspected of taking payoffs from lawyers to steer clients to them and taking part in a scheme to assign divorce cases to himself." "At least five other people, including a lawyer and a court employee, are expected to be arrested on related charges." Judge Garson, who was "a former longtime treasurer of the Kings County Democratic organization," is "expected to be charged with receiving a reward for official misconduct, a felony 'a notch below' bribery carrying a maximum sentence of four years in prison," an official said. Judge Garson's wife, Robin Garson, and a cousin, Michael Garson, "are also State Supreme Court justices in Brooklyn."

Submitted by: Werner Hetzner