New York State Supreme Court Justice John Michalski has died by suicide weeks after his home was searched by federal agents and state police while he was questioned about his relationship to a person involved in a federal prosecution.
Judge Michalski, 61, was found deceased at his home in Amherst, NY shortly before noon on Tuesday, lawyer Terrence Connors told The New York Times.
“It’s difficult to explain what a tragedy this is ... it would be difficult to find a judge who was more respected,” in the Western New York legal community, Mr Connors, a longtime friend of the justice, told the newspaper.
The Times reported that the local police in Amherst were unable to provide information about Judge Michalski on Tuesday, but as of early Wednesday a spokesperson for the state court system said police had confirmed his death.
The death of the 61-year-old judge arrives a little more than year after he was struck by a freight train at a rail yard near Buffalo, which prompted a leave of absence that he only returned from in January 2022 after the State Office of Court Administration reinstated him.
State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Brown upheld a decision last year not to release video footage of the train accident, labelling it an “apparent suicide attempt”, according to The Buffalo News.
The outlet reported last month that Judge Michalski had been questioned last year ahead of being struck by the train by FBI agents about his longtime friendship with a strip club owner, Peter Gerace, who is staring down federal charges of drug trafficking, sex trafficking and bribing Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Joseph Bongiovanni, who was also indicted.
The judge came under renewed scrutiny last month when his home was raided by federal agents.
The Times reported that this recent raid was connected to the Supreme Court judge’s ties to Mr Gerace, who was charged in federal court in Florida last year the same day that Judge Michalski was struck by the train, though he’d been questioned about their relationship by agents weeks earlier.
In his interview with the Times this week, Mr Connors said Judge Michalski had “conveyed to the authorities repeatedly that he had no knowledge of any of Mr Gerace’s allegedly illegal activities”, noting that, “he was a client”.
Mr Connors said based on the information he saw in the search warrant executed on the judge’s home last month, the authorities seemed to be more focused on his wife’s business, where she reportedly sells clothes online.
“If they would have called me and asked for what they were looking for, we would have given it to them,” Mr Connors said.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
