NYC Judge Punches Lawyer, Gets Fired

CHELSEA, NY — The parole judge who allegedly slugged a Legal Aid lawyer last year during a drunken brawl was fired by state authorities, officials confirmed.

Robert Beltrani was fired from his post as a hearing officer for New York state on Oct 31, a spokeswoman for the state corrections department said.

Last year, Beltrani was charged with assault after video footage captured him punching a fellow legal professional in the face on West 18th Street in Chelsea. Authorities said that the Legal Aid lawyer who Beltrani attacked was left unconscious and suffered a separated shoulder and a black eye.

Sources said Beltrani was fired after failing to cooperate with an internal investigation following the attack. The New York Daily News was first to report on Beltrani's firing. Beltrani, who had worked for the state since April 2011, was making $98,669 a year in his position.

He is still facing charges from the October 2016 incident. Beltrani's lawyer could not immediately be contacted for comment on Wednesday.

Beltrani has worked as the chairman of the Queens Republican Party, and launched an unsuccessful bid for New York state senate.

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