HollyMatkinRochester, NY – Rochester City Court Judge Leticia Astacio has been arrested on gun charges, just days after employees at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store refused to sell her a shotgun.
Astacio, 36, was taken into custody at her residence on Tuesday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said in a press release.
She was arraigned on a class E felony count of Attempted Criminal Purchase or Disposal of a Weapon, and was released on her own recognizance by Ontario County Court Justice William Kocher, the MCSO said.
According to court documents, the disgraced judge presented Henrietta Dick’s employees with her driver’s license on Apr.2, while she attempted to buy a Maverick 88 12 gauge shotgun, WHEC reported.
Investigators learned that Astacio had actually first attempted to purchase a weapon at another Dick’s location in nearby Greece. She became upset when her request was denied, and told employees at the Greece location that she would simply acquire the shotgun at another store.
The employees alerted their counterpart at the Henrietta location regarding the incident with Astacio.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., Astacio was spotted inside the Henrietta store by an employee, who notified management.
Astacio eventually requested to speak with the store manager at the gun counter, and demanded to know why her attempts to purchase a weapon were being denied.
She was repeatedly told that Dick’s reserved the right to refuse service to anyone at any of their locations, WHEC reported.
According to her court-ordered probation conditions, Astacio is “prohibited from possessing a firearm, dangerous weapon, or noxious substance.”
As news of the thwarted purchase spread, Astacio took to social media, and claimed that the woman who attempted to buy the gun was actually her sister.
“They thought she was me,” Astacio said in the since-deleted Facebook video, according to WHEC.
“I really don’t like guns,” Astacio noted in the video. “Now, it would make sense to me for me to purchase a gun, because these psychopaths threaten me regularly. I get death threats daily.”
However her sister took to Facebook to point out that not only has she never been to Dick’s, but unlike Judge Astacio, she has a valid gun permit.
Astacio has retained her employment as a judge, despite being arrested for drunk driving on Feb. 16, 2016.
Her defiant antics, smug demeanor, and arrogant outbursts have been commonplace during her multiple appearances in relation to violations of her sentence.
As a judge, Astacio has been banned from the courtroom and the secure area of the Hall of Justice since mid-July of 2017, WHEC reported.
Since that time, the chief judge had instructed her to work inside the law library on the Hall of Justice’s fifth floor.
According to Spectrum News, Doran said that Astacio was scheduled to review landlord-tenant matters, conduct legal research, and to perform office duties from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Astacio then provided a doctor’s note, which excused her from having to report to work due to the negative impact her work conditions were having on her health.
According to WHEC, Doran sent Astacio a letter on Feb. 23, and directed her to come to work at the Hall of Justice at 9 a.m. on Feb 26.
Astacio failed to comply with Doran’s directive, but did come to the office on Feb. 27. She left after several hours, however, and never returned, Doran told Spectrum News.
According to Spectrum News, Astacio recently issued an open letter to Doran on her Facebook page. The post appeared to have since been deleted.
In the letter, Astacio claimed to have been mentally harmed by the “hostile” work environment at Rochester City Court. She complained that she had been required to access the building through backdoor metal detectors, and that no other employees were required to do the same.
Astacio has continued to collect her $175,500 salary during her jail time and absence from the court. Effective Apr. 1, she and other city judges across New York State received a pay hike, which increased Astacio’s grossly-undeserved salary to $187,200, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Astacio’s term will expire in 2024, according to WHEC.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 3, MCSO reported.