A Brooklyn judge found himself on the other side of the law yesterday, busted for allegedly taking a fat wad of cash to tip the scales of justice, authorities said.
State Supreme Court Justice Victor Barron, who handles civil cases, was to be arraigned on a charge of second-degree bribe-receiving, the Brooklyn district attorney’s office said.
Barron, who was first appointed a judge by former Mayor Ed Koch and elected to the Supreme Court three years ago, is accused of twice asking someone involved in a civil case for more than $10,000 to issue a particular court order in June.
But the person he shook down wound up becoming an informant, and when he turned over the money in Barron’s chambers this month, the authorities knew about it, DA Charles Hynes said.
Barron, described by law-enforcement sources as a “below-the-radar” jurist, was picked up at his Brooklyn home yesterday.
Prosecutors provided no other details and there was no immediate comment from the judge’s lawyer.
Barron is likely to be suspended by the chief judge, pending the outcome of the case.