'Drunk Judge' Worked 1 Day out of 214, Cries Racism When Questioned
If you work in the private sector, showing up for work once over a seven-month period would earn you a pink slip.
If you’re a judge in New York state, it earns you … a raise!
According to WHAM-TV in Rochester, City Court Judge Leticia Astacio showed up for work on Feb. 27. That was significant since she had not showed up for work since Aug. 31.
Since that one grueling day of work in February, however, Astacio has not returned to work.
Despite her rather lax attitude toward her job, the judge recently received a pay raise of roughly $11,000. She now pockets $187,200 annually.
And if you’re upset at that, Astacio knows the reason for your angst: You’re a racist.
You see, Astacio claims she has a medical excuse for her absence from work and has provided her boss, Chief Administrative Judge Craig Doran, with a doctor’s note outlining her condition.
Doran wrote a letter to Astacio Feb. 26 — the day before her cameo appearance at work — ordering her to return to the bench.
“Our administrative view is that she continues to be under an obligation to appear for her assigned work duty,” Doran told Newsweek on Wednesday. But he also said he did not have the authority terminate Astacio or investigate claims against her.
Astacio hasn’t revealed her medical excuse, but it may be related to the fact she was convicted of DWI in 2016 and then found guilty of violating her probation — twice.
She continued to be paid a six-figure salary while in jail on the DWI arrest, an incident which earned her the nickname “Drunk Judge” by some in Rochester.
As for her raise, Astacio said all judges in the state received a pay bump, and any news stories focusing on why she received one are because of “racist news stations.”
“Why is my name in the headlines?” Astacio asked with a straight face via Facebook. “Because your racist news stations … you’re mad because I’m a young minority getting paid.”
“It’s biased reporting to talk about me getting a raise when everyone got a raise,” she said in another Facebook video. “This isn’t news.”
She also claimed she’s received death threats since news of her raise went public.
The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reported that Astacio attempted to purchase a shotgun on Monday from a Dick’s Sporting Goods Store in Henrietta, New York, but was turned away by store employees. The store did not reveal the reason why its employees would not sell to the judge.
People on probation are not specifically prohibited from owning a gun in New York state, unless the terms and conditions of a person’s probation agreement dictate why gun ownership is not allowed.
“I am so tired of being the focal point of the Rochester media like there’s nothing else for them to talk about,” Astacio said via Facebook. “That’s insane.”
What’s insane is how Astacio has kept her job — let alone received a pay raise — despite not feeling obligated to work.
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