Ex-Brooklyn Judge Under Indictment For Stealing $160K+ From Elderly Aunt Cops Misdemeanor Plea

In Nassau County, Long Island, The New York Law Journal reports (at Law.com):

• Michael J. Garson, a former Supreme Court justice in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty [last] Tuesday to a misdemeanor with a promise of no jail time, resolving charges that could have landed him in jail for five years. County Court Judge John L. Case of Nassau County promised Garson no jail time on two conditions: that he resigns from the bar and that he pays the final $48,000 in restitution ordered by a Manhattan judge for his mishandling of an elderly aunt's finances.

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• The district attorney three years ago unveiled an indictment accusing Garson, who was a Supreme Court justice for a full 14-year term ending in 2006, of stealing more than $160,000 from his aunt, Sarah Gershenoff, while managing her financial affairs under a power of attorney. [...] Under the power of attorney, both Garson and his first cousin, Gerald P. Garson, an ex-Brooklyn justice who is in prison on a three- to 10-year term for bribery, were authorized to manage Gershenoff's finances. Michael Garson, however, took primary responsibility for handling her money.

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• With [last] Tuesday's $48,000 payment, Garson has repaid Gershenoff a total of $219,000, reflecting the $163,000 ordered by [the Manhattan judge] plus interest. Gershenoff, who was 94 when the indictment was issued in May 2005, has since died.

For more, see Former N.Y. Justice Avoids Jail With Misdemeanor Guilty Plea (Garson resigns from Bar, makes restitution).

For story update, see Ex-Judge Avoids Jail for Forgery (7-7-08).

Go here , here , here , here , and here for other posts on elder financial abuse.

For other posts on the questionable judgment exercised by some of the members of our esteemed judiciary, go here and go here. knuckleheaded judges zeta valedictorian