AMHERST, N.Y. — A longtime State Supreme Court judge who was questioned in a federal investigation, and had his home raided last month, has died.
Terry Connors, Judge John Michalski's attorney, confirmed to 2 On Your Side that the judge died Tuesday in his Amherst home by suicide.
While we rarely cover suicides, Judge Michalski's passing is significant due to those multiple investigations.
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Two weeks ago, federal agents raided Michalski's Hunter's Lane home.
Agents from the FBI, NY State Attorney General's office, and the New York State Police were at Michalski's Hunter's Lane home two weeks ago, leaving with boxes and cases of materials.
Law enforcement would not comment on what was removed from the house, or on the investigation. Michalski's lawyer Terry Connors also declined comment on the specifics of what was going on, other than to confirm a search warrant was executed, and that the judge and his wife were cooperative.
It is the latest chapter in the unusual saga of Judge Michalski, who was only returned to the bench in January, nearly a year after he stepped in front of a train last February.
That occurred just days after he had been questioned by the FBI about his long time relationship with Peter Gerace, the owner of Pharaoh's strip club, who as we have reported, is accused of bribing a DEA agent named Joseph Bongiovanni, who is now retired out of the Buffalo field office.
The train incident, which took place at a rail yard in Depew, occurred the same day that Gerace was picked up by agents in Florida, on federal charges of drug trafficking and sex trafficking.
No charges have ever been filed against the judge in connection with the Gerace case.