Courts

Judge Who Had His Home Raided By Federal Agents Dies By Suicide

Friends say the judge will be remembered as a family man.

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Silk flowers on a gravestone, soft focus

(Image via Getty)

New York judge John L. Michalski has reportedly died by suicide. His death comes less than two weeks after federal agents raided his home. Though the judge was reportedly under investigation for a number of years, no charges against him were filed.

As reported by the Buffalo News, friends of the late judge say that his legal woes were “manageable”:

Defense attorney Terrence M. Connors told The Buffalo News he received a call about the death late Tuesday morning and has been with the family at the Michalski home since.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Connors said. “He was such a good guy. This just didn’t have to happen.”

Connors said he was “sick” when he got the news, especially since he was with Michalski last week and the justice’s legal troubles seemed “manageable.”

“We had a good support system in place,” Connors said. “He was strong.”

In February 2021, eyewitnesses reported that Judge John L. Michalski of the New York State Supreme Court laid down on train tracks. He was hit by a slow moving freight train and broke his kneecap. Earlier that day, a friend of Michalski’s, strip club owner Peter Gerace Jr, was arrested on federal charges of drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and bribing a Drug Enforcement Administration agent.

According to reports, the search warrant executed on March 24 on the judge’s residence sought financial information related to potential tax crimes.

Friends say the judge will be remembered as a family man:

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Attorney Michael A. Benson, who became friends with the judge while they were students at UB law school, said Tuesday he was “sick” over the news of the judge’s death.
“He was a wonderful friend with a heart of gold. He was a very caring friend,” said Benson, who was in the UB law school Class of 1987 with Michalski. “He was a real family man. He was the first guy to show pictures of his children when we got together. He carried those pictures with him all the time.”

Michalski is survived by his wife, three daughters, and a son.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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