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Sumary:
- A Moravia judge was sentenced to five years’ probation for fourth-degree grand larceny.
- June Shepardson, who suffers from gambling addiction, paid $6,000 restitution as part of the plea agreement.
- She was originally suspended by the town court in July 2023 amid an open investigation into the missing money.
Last July, a town judge in Moravia, New York was suspected by the town court as a result of an investigation into a missing $6,000 from the court coffers.
At the start of September, June Shepardson presented her resignation after serving the town for over two decades. She also admitted to stealing the money.
Earlier in the week, Judge Thomas Leone in Cayuga County Court sentenced the ex-judge to five years’ probation for fourth-degree grand larceny, which is a class E felony.
The same plea agreement has Shepardson, who is a self-admitted gambling addict, pay more than $6,000 restitution.
The Formed Judge Is Currently in Recovery
Shepardson’s lawyer, J. Justin Woods, put the focus on her continuous efforts to defeat her gambling problem.
At the end of last year, Woods explained that
near the end of her service, Justice Shepardson developed a gambling addiction for which she is now in recovery
He added that the former judge “appreciated the opportunity to serve her community on the bench with fairness” while she was also preparing to go back to private life and raise awareness and offer treatment resources regarding gambling addiction to individuals in isolated rural areas.
Shepardson also used the self-exclusion option at all the US casinos in the area, including Cayuga Nation’s Lakeside Entertainment I and II and the del Lago Resort & Casino.
Undermining Public Confidence
According to the state Judicial Conduct Commission‘s Robert Tembeckjian, the ex-judge had undermined “public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary” and let down the public.
He argued that court justices in towns and villages should focus on
safeguarding, reporting, and promptly remitting all official monies collected by their courts from fines, fees, and other sources
By failing to do so, which was the case of Spehardson, Tembeckjian explained the public’s confidence in the judicial system was shattered.
Similarly, in 2010, US District Judge Thomas Porteous was impeached and eventually removed from office by Congress after he was found guilty of corruption.
He admitted to battling gambling addiction as well as an alcohol problem, which made him agree to receive bribes.
