New City Lawyer Enters Plea In Town Judge Scam

NEW CITY, NY — Lurlyn A. Winchester, a member of the Rockland County Bar Association and a Justice for the Town Court of Monroe, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy, in federal court in White Plains. She admitted lying about buying a home in Monroe, where she needed to move to be the town judge.

The lie was so elaborate that she fabricated rent receipts for her New City home, for which she said she had gotten a tenant. Then, she lied to FBI agents who asked about it.

“As she admitted in court today, Lurlyn Winchester, in an attempt to fraudulently satisfy a residency requirement for a judgeship, lied and provided fake documents to secure a mortgage," Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in the announcement. "She then lied to FBI task force officers and provided them with fake documents in an attempt to cover up that crime. Winchester’s lack of integrity and honesty did not merit a term on the bench. Her crimes will likely earn her a term in prison.”

Winchester was elected Town of Monroe Justice in 2013. She and her husband had a tenant for the New City house, and tried to buy a condo in Monroe. The first purchase fell through in March 2014 and she returned the prospective tenant's checks. The second purchase got held up because lenders thought the couple's expenses were too high for their income.

That's when things began to get elaborate. She made up a phony lease agreement. She gave the prospective tenant, who was not going to rent the house, money so the fake tenant could write new checks for her to show the lender. She got the loan for the condo in April 2015.

In July 2016, FBI agents interviewed her at her office in New City. Afterward, she had the fake tenant initial phony rent payment receipts. She gave documents including the phony receipts to the FBI when they returned in August.

Winchester, 59, of New City, New York, pleaded guilty to both counts of the indictment.

The first charged her with making false statements to a mortgage lending business, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The second charged her with falsifying records in a federal investigation, with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of a federal department or agency, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 28.

SEE:

New City Lawyer Serving as Monroe Judge Lied to Bank, FBI

Image via Shutterstock