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Judge Facing Felony Charges After Admitting to Serial Panty Stealing

A New York Judge has been accused of burglary after he was reportedly caught in the act of illegally entering the home of a woman who previously worked as an intern for him in order to steal the panties from her laundry.

Suffolk County Republican District Court Judge Robert Cicale formerly worked as a town attorney, and during that time he hired a 23-year-old woman who provided him with intern services. Cicale and his ex-intern are both neighbors and residents of Long Island.

On April 29 the woman arrived at her home and allegedly heard a strange noise. The woman was alone and she went to investigate the sound when she noticed a man running away from her residence. She made a phone call to her mother to tell her what had happened and a call was placed to 911 to report the incident.

When responding officers dispatched to the location they discovered that Cicale was on foot and within blocks of the woman’s home who had called them for assistance, and he reportedly had more than one pair of worn underwear on his person.

Officers suspected that the garments were taken during the occurrence that the woman had reported, or from a prior event where he stole them. When Cicale was questioned about the panties he told the officers that he was inside the woman’s home when he heard her arriving and he quickly departed. He also allegedly disclosed that the items found on him had been taken from the home in prior instances that he had entered to obtain her unclean undergarments, though he did not reveal a reason he was carrying them at the time or how many times he had been inside her home before. Additionally, Cicale reportedly revealed that he has urges to take women’s underwear.

Cicale was arrested and charged with second-degree burglary which is a class C felony. He was released from custody after paying $25,000 cash for bail and was issued a restraining order against contact with the alleged victim. He also must wear a GPS monitor.

On Friday during a court appearance, Cicale pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. William Wexler, the accused’s defense attorney, stated that his client has a stellar reputation and that he is highly respected by many judges and lawyers.

On Monday an order was issued for the unpaid suspension of Cicale as District Court Judge.

If you or someone you love is suspected of burglary, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.

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