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On Second
Thought, Former NY Judge Granted Parole By John Caher Mr. Barron, who pleaded guilty in 2002 to taking a bribe, was denied parole on the ground he is likely to re-offend, even though he has no prior record. Mr. Barron's attorney, Stephen Dratch of Franzblau Dratch in Livingston, N.J., filed for a writ of mandamus under Article 78 of the New York Practice Law and Rules claiming that the denial of parole in this case met the "irrational bordering on impropriety" standard the Court of Appeals has adopted for overturning a parole board determination (NYLJ, March 23, 2006). After the filing, the board advised the attorney general that it would grant Mr. Barron a de novo hearing and would not oppose his Article 78. Mr. Barron's hearing was held May 3 and he was granted parole. "Mr. Barron was interviewed by a new panel and they determined that his discretionary release was appropriate at this time," said parole board spokesman Scott E. Steinhardt. Mr. Barron, who is 64 and has leukemia, is on a work-release program that requires him to spend two nights a week in custody. He is expected to be paroled later this month. Jailed Jurist Gets Parole Nancie L. Katz and Paul H.B.
Shin Disgraced Brooklyn Judge Victor Barron, who pleaded guilty to soliciting a $250,000 bribe in exchange for approving a $5 million personal injury settlement, will soon be paroled, the Daily News has learned. Barron has been in custody since 2002, serving a three-to-nine-year term for bribery. He was granted parole recently after being turned down twice. The ex-Brooklyn Supreme Court justice will be released May 24, a source said yesterday. But Barron already has one foot out the door. He has been putting in five days a week at a downtown Brooklyn company on a work-release program while living at home. He returns to a halfway house in Harlem on weekends and remains there under the supervision of the Correction Department. Barron is banned from practicing law. Judge Hits Parole Board By David Hafetz A disgraced, bribe-taking ex-judge is crying out about a different form of injustice - a state panel's decision to deny his parole. Under a work-release program, the state lets Victor Barron work full time doing title searches and sleep at his Brooklyn home five nights a week, but the ex-jurist is still not satisfied with his sentence. He filed a petition March 15 appealing the state's decision. At a hearing in June, parole commissioners denied Barron's parole, saying he had "betrayed the public trust" and demonstrated "no respect whatsoever for the very laws you were entrusted to uphold." Stephen Dratch, a lawyer for Barron, 64, said the decision was "irrational bordering on impropriety." Barron argues that he's old and ill - he has cancer and has undergone chemotherapy - and that he's been a model prisoner. After serving 14 years on the bench, Barron pleaded guilty in 2002 to felony bribe receiving for taking $18,000 - a down payment on a $100,000 bribe from a lawyer appearing in a personal-injury case. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison. After serving 23 months, he was granted work release for good behavior. With 17 months in the work program, he has been incarcerated for a total of 40 months. |
