2 New York Judges Who Pleaded Guilty to Felonies Have Resigned, Judicial Conduct Commission Says
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct on Friday announced the resignations of Robert Cicale, a district judge in Suffolk County, and Marc Seedorf, a town justice in Westchester County.
April 06, 2020 at 04:04 PM
3 minute read
A state disciplinary commission says two New York judges who pleaded guilty to felonies in separate 2019 cases have resigned from their posts.
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct on Friday announced the resignations of Robert Cicale, a district judge in Suffolk County, and Marc Seedorf, a town justice in Westchester County.
The commission reported that both had been suspended without pay, but officially remained in office, which prevented the public from replacing them. Both judges have agreed to not seek judicial office in the future, according to the commission.
Cicale, who pleaded guilty to a felony, admitted to entering a young woman's home with the intent of stealing her underwear. Media reports identified the young woman as a former intern at the town attorney's office in Islip, which is located on Long Island.
The commission says Cicale, who has been a district court judge in Suffolk County since 2016, was sentenced to probation.
Attorney Michael Brown, who represented Cicale in the criminal case, said Monday his client served "honorably" as a legal aid attorney and in other positions. He said Cicale is also dealing with his mental health issues since the crime.
Brown on Monday did not specify Cicale's mental health issues.
In a separate case, Seedorf pleaded guilty in federal court to tax evasion last year.
Prosecutors accused him of evading the payment of more than $160,000 in federal income tax over the span of a decade. He was also accused of not filing individual income tax returns for a decade.
U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York scolded Seedorf for his behavior and said he flouted his obligations to pay taxes and file tax returns.
"This was conduct that would be shameful for anyone, and all the more so from an attorney and a member of the judiciary," Berman said in a statement.
Seedorf had served as a justice in the Lewisboro town court since 1997, according to the commission. An attorney for Seedorf could not be reached for comment on Monday.
Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian issued a statement saying the public cannot respect a judge who pleads guilty to a felony but stays in office. He noted in a separate statement that it is rare for a New York judge to be convicted or charged with a felony.
"That we simultaneously had two judges in this predicament is most unusual and regrettable, and not something I expect to see again anytime soon," he wrote in a statement.
READ MORE:
|NY Judicial Conduct Commission Calls for Removal of Upstate Judge for Series of Alleged Wrongs
|SCJC to New York Judges: Discipline May Follow if Bail Reform Law Is Disregarded
|Westchester Town Justice Stripped of Duties After His Tax Evasion Guilty Plea
|Long Island Judge Suspended Without Pay After Pleading Guilty to Underwear Burglary
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