Town Court Justice Resigns After Impersonating Daughter

A New York town court justice has resigned from office as a result of misconduct as a judge.

According to a stipulation with the Commission on Judicial Conduct

Judge Becker was apprised by the Commission in August 2015 that it was investigating a complaint that she telephoned a Tompkins County Assistant District Attorney, misrepresented herself as her daughter in a voicemail message left on the Assistant District Attorney’s phone line, and requested that criminal charges in People v Jeffrey J Goldrick, in which her daughter was the complaining witness, be upgraded from harassment in the second degree to assault in the third degree.

 She agreed to not accept a judicial office in the future.

Details here from the Ithaca Journal.

Newfield Town Court Justice Linda Becker is stepping down amid misconduct allegations.

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct was investigating a complaint that Becker, whose daughter was the complaining witness in a criminal case, called a Tompkins County assistant district attorney, misrepresented herself as her daughter in a voicemail left on the ADA’s phone, and requested that criminal charges in the case be upgraded from second-degree harassment to third-degree assault, according to the stipulation.

Becker, who is not an attorney, has served as a justice of Newfield since Jan. 1 and received a salary of $10,000, according to the commission. Before being elected Nov. 4, 2014, Becker was a clerk for eight years in the Newfield Town Court.

At the time of the incident, Becker said she was not thinking clearly and she was acting as a mother.

Becker said the call to the ADA was made 10 days after she was elected as judge, which was prior to training and before she was acting as a judge.

(Mike Frisch)