X

Former Fowler town justice who traded favorable rulings for sex heading to prison

Posted 6/22/17

CANTON --A former Fowler town justice who admitted receiving sexual favors in exchange for rulings beneficial to defendants is headed to state prison. Paul M. Lamson, was sentenced to two to six …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Former Fowler town justice who traded favorable rulings for sex heading to prison

Posted

CANTON --A former Fowler town justice who admitted receiving sexual favors in exchange for rulings beneficial to defendants is headed to state prison.

Paul M. Lamson, was sentenced to two to six years in state prison and will pay a $2,500 fine for abusing his position, according to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Lamson previously pleaded guilty before Acting St. Lawrence County Court Judge Derek P. Champagne to third-degree bribe receiving, a class D felony, and official misconduct, a class A misdemeanor, Schneiderman said.

“For a judge to exploit their power and take advantage of someone in such a vulnerable position is truly reprehensible, and erodes public trust in our judicial system,” Schneiderman said in a prepared statement. “My office will continue working to root out public corruption and abuse of power, and bring those responsible to justice.”

Lamson was the town justice for the Town of Fowler Justice Court from 2005 to Dec. 1, 2016, when he resigned. When entering his plea in St. Lawrence County Court, Lamson admitted to soliciting and accepting sexual favors from people who had pending criminal cases before him.

"He did so under an agreement or understanding that his judgment, action, decision, and exercise of discretion as the Justice for the Town of Fowler Court would be influenced with respect to those defendants’ cases. Lamson also admitted that he provided favorable rulings on these defendants’ behalf as a result of these agreements or understandings," a news release from Schneiderman's office said.

"The Attorney General thanks the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Police, and the New York State Office of Court Administration for their valuable assistance in this investigation," Schneiderman's office said in the release.

Assistant attorneys general Mary Gorman and Christopher Baynes prosecuted this case and were assisted by Senior Analyst Joseph Conniff, under the supervision of Public Integrity Bureau Chief Daniel G. Cort and Deputy Bureau Chief Stacy Aronowitz. The investigation was handled by Investigator David Buske of the Investigations Bureau, with support from Supervising Investigator Richard Doyle, Deputy Bureau Chief Antoine Karam, and Bureau Chief Dominick Zarrella.