Bribe-taking judge, Gerald Garson, gets out of jail early

Bribe-taking judge, Gerald Garson, gets out of jail early - New York Daily News

BY BARBARA ROSS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Friday, August 21, 2009
A Brooklyn judge convicted of taking bribes is getting out of jail six months early - thanks to the state parole board.

Gerald Garson, 77, will be able to leave a state prison in Orange County on Dec. 23, but he must stay away from associating with any law firms, cannot drink alcohol and must go to an alcohol abuse treatment program.

"That's ridiculous! That's really crazy! Only in America," said Freida Hanimov, a Brooklyn nurse who blew the whistle on Garson when she discovered that paying $9,000 to an intermediary could ensure that she kept custody of her children in her divorce case.

Ultimately, Hanimov wore a wire to nail the intermediary, Nissam Ellmann, who then implicated lawyer Paul Siminovsky, who in turn nailed the judge.


Judge Gerald Garson in Brooklyn Supreme Court during his trial on bribery… (Egan-Chin/News)


Garson was caught on videotape taking a $1,000 cash bribe from Siminovsky and a $275 box of cigars. He was convicted of bribery and official misconduct and sentenced to 3 to 10 years.

Heather Groll, a spokesman for the Parole Board, said it is relatively rare for nonviolent felons like Garson to get parole the first time they appear before the board - only 21% did in 2008.

If Garson had been denied parole, he would have had to wait two years before going before the board again.

Garson is serving six months less than his minimum sentence because he behaved well in jail and has completed a mandatory substance abuse program.

Defense lawyer Jeremy Gutman said Garson's "family and friends are thrilled that he is going to be back home again." He said those supporters, along with "former colleagues, including retired judges," wrote to the board on Garson's behalf. Neither Gutman nor state officials would say who sent letters.

Garson's prosecutor, Michael Vecchione, chief of the rackets division in the Brooklyn district attorney's office, opposed the early release. "This was an overwhelming case of greed," he wrote.

Ellman is still serving his sentence of 16 months to 5-1/2 years. He was denied parole last year and won't be eligible to try again until July.

bross@nydailynews.com