A respected New York Supreme Court Justice, John Michalski, He was found dead Tuesday at his home in Buffalo, New York. His death comes just twelve days after a group of investigators raided his home and removed a number of his belongings and documents as part of a federal investigation.
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Michalski’s attorney, Terry Connors, confirmed to several media outlets that the judge took his own life at his Amherst home.
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Twelve days ago, several agencies met at the judge’s house and searched it. Both he and his wife were cooperating with the authorities. Michalski was not arrested and investigators did not file any charges against him or in connection with the search warrant.
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Dead judge in New York was a friend of a convict
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Last year, a close friend of the judge, Peter Gerace, owner of a strip club called Pharoah’s Gentlemen’s Club, was arrested for charges related to drugs, bribery and sex trafficking.
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The same day of the arrest of his friend, Judge Michalski was hit by a train, at midnight, and no one understood what he was doing in front of the railway tracks at that time of night. As a result of this dangerous decision, the judge suffered serious injuries to his leg. This kept him out of court for about a year.
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However, it was not the first time that his friend had problems with the law. The Buffalo News reported that in 2006, Michalski wrote a letter to William Sketny, a federal judge in New York, asking for clemency on behalf of Gerace, who was awaiting sentencing on felony wire fraud.
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FBI investigating judge who was found dead
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At the time, Judge Michalski described Gerace as a client and a friend, and Sketny gave him just five months in prison when federal sentencing guidelines suggested up to a year.
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More recently, the FBI was investigating Michalski’s connection to Gerace in possible tax crimes. The judge was also the subject of an investigation by the state Attorney General’s Office related to possible corruption.
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The judge is survived by four children and his wife.
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