The state's Commission on Judicial Conduct has decided that City Court Judge Leticia Astacio should be stripped of her judgeship. Earlier this month, the New York State Court of Appeals, the highest court in the state, suspended Judge Astacio with pay after she was arrested for allegedly trying to buy a shotgun. Judge Astacio was in court again last Friday. She is charged with three violations of probation in connection with the alleged attempt to buy the gun. Judge Astacio violated the terms of her DWI conviction in the fall of 2016.
Judge Astacio admitted she drank alcohol when she was specifically told not to drink. Last June, she was found guilty of violating the terms of her DWI sentence for a second time when she missed a court-ordered alcohol test because she was in Thailand. Judge Astacio was jailed twice last summer for alleged probation violations. Judge Astacio has been to work once since Sept. 1, 2017, but continues to collect a salary of $187,200. Astacio, 36, can appeal the decision to the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals. The appeal can last 3-5 months. She would be paid throughout that time.