Rochester City Court Judge Leticia Astacio has been sentenced to another 60 days in jail, followed by three years on probation. She was sentenced in City Court today for violating the terms of her conditional discharge on an earlier DWI conviction.
Astacio said before sentencing she believed all her violations had been resolved before she left the country. She also said it’s hard to be known as “the drunk judge” and not as a single mom who made good. She said that’s also part of her punishment.
Astacio said the media has tried to break her, but she’s still representing the people who elected her. At this, Judge Aronson fired back that he never heard a word of contrition in her statement and told her emphatically that her failure to turn herself in when she returned to the United States last month was arrogant.
Judge Astacio’s new attorney, Mark Young, asked to have Astacio serve her full jail time and skip probation. Judge Aronson said he wasn’t concerned with what Astacio wanted and rejected the request.
That exchange ended when Judge Astacio’s daughter stood up in court and cussed out the judge, using the “F” word. She was removed from the courtroom while Judge Astacio put her head in her hands.
Astacio may actually be out of jail in as little as two weeks. She was sentenced also to time served, and she’s been in jail for the past month since she returned from a trip to Thailand that she took without notifying the judge handling her case.
She was arrested when she reported to court on June 8th. Judge Aronson ruled that Judge Astacio had violated the terms of her conditional discharge on her previous DWI conviction by not being available to take a court-ordered urine test. He denied bail.
Judge Astacio was elected to a 10-year-term and is still collecting her $173,000 a year salary. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct is investigating her case.