Judge Judy's Son Criticized in Putnam County Rape Investigation
If you're a district attorney, and you employ an illegal alien who is accused of raping a child, you can expect at least a little flack from the media.
If you're that district attorney and the progeny of the greatest pop culture judge of our generation, you can expect a backlash. Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy -- also known as Judge Judy's son -- is learning that lesson first-hand.
Last week, Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith suggested that Levy is trying to use his office to mislead the public and influence a rape investigation centered on his former live-in personal trainer, Alexandru Hossu, LoHud.com reports. “In my view, Mr. Levy’s comments and actions would seem to suggest that, if he could have his own way, Mr. Hossu would never have been brought to justice for his crime and Mr. Levy’s relationship with him would have never been brought to the light of public scrutiny,” Smith said in a statement.
Smith and Levy are not exactly friends, even if they serve on the same side of the law.
The two became embroiled in a public feud last year when Levy moved to let town and village attorneys plea-bargain traffic tickets issued by deputies over Smith’s objections, according to LoHud.com. But while there may be petty differences between the pair, Smith could have valid reasons to attack Levy in the Hossu matter. Levy said last week that Smith’s office erroneously reported that Hossu still lived at Levy’s home, but the two addresses that Levy offered as Hossu’s current address were not actually residential addresses. Maybe Levy made an honest mistake, but it looks bad; especially after Hossu told authorities that he lived at Levy’s address.
Levy also claimed that he had no knowledge of Hossu’s immigration status, and that Hossu had a valid driver’s license and a social security number, UPI reports. One of the victim’s relatives, however, says that Hossu was open about his immigration status and that he worked for the district attorney, according to USA Today.
As for his official role in the investigation, Levy seems to be complying with all legal and ethical requirements: USA Today reports that Levy immediately turned Hossu’s case over to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office upon learning about the charges against his former trainer.
While Putnam County politicos get wrapped up in the tiff between Adam Levy and Donald Smith, Judge Judy — in her no-nonsense way — puts the real issue in perspective. “The sole focus of this story should be the investigation as to whether a young girl was the victim of a very serious crime,” she said through spokesman Gary Rosen.
Related Resources:
- Judge Judy’s Son, Adam Levy, Embroiled In New York Rape Case (AP)
- Unreasonable Fee: ‘Master of Disaster’ Stanley Chesley Disbarred (FindLaw’s Greedy Associates)
- Is Judge Judy a Real Court? Top 3 ‘Secrets’ of TV Judge Shows (FindLaw’s Celebrity Justice)