New Hampshire "Sleeping Judge" Accused Of Helping Hubby Hide Assets From Creditors

The New Hampshire Union Leader reports:

• "A Superior Court judge, accused of fraudulently hiding her husband's assets from creditors, has been placed on paid administrative leave by the state Supreme Court. Patricia Coffey, who presides in Rockingham County Superior Court, was placed on leave as of 4 p.m. [August 29], pending the outcome of formal charges filed against her by the Judicial Conduct Committee (JCC). [...] Coffey allegedly compromised the integrity of the judiciary by creating a trust so creditors could not get at the assets of her husband, [disbarred attorney] John Coffey."

Reportedly, one of Mr. Coffey's creditors is The Professional Conduct Committee, who is looking for him to cough up the cash to cover the legal fees related to his disbarment in 2005 for exploiting an elderly client suffering from dementia. He was accused of taking the woman's Rye cottage as payment for $50,000 in legal bills.

Reportedly, Judge Coffey has had her own problems. Last year, she was accused of nodding off while on the bench, charges that she was cleared of. However, while the conduct committee found there was no "credible evidence" she ever actually slept during any trial or hearing, a report of the case states that a number of "credible" people described to an investigator several instances where they saw Coffey "nodding off" - brief periods of time when her eyes closed, her head fell forward or to the side and she appeared "fighting to stay awake."

For more, see Put on leave, judge denies fraud charges.

For more examples of alleged less than impeccable conduct by members of the judiciary:

• Go here for a recent post listing the questionable conduct of several members of the judiciary in one Florida county,
• or here for indictment of Pennsylvania Appeals Court judge for allegedly fleecing insurance companies of $400,000+ ,
• or here for Ex-judge convicted for taking cash bribes and gifts from attorney.

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Go here for other stories on questionable conduct by members of the judiciary. naughty judges