Former Woodmere Fire Commissioner Sentenced To Year In Jail: Nassau DA

MINEOLA, NY — A former commissioner of the Woodmere Fire District was sentenced to a year in jail for using language from a falsified court transcript to seek tens of millions of dollars in compensation from Nassau County and the fire district, prosecutors

Judah Karkowsky, 44, was convicted on April 18, on charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, three counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, two counts of first-degree making an apparently sworn false statement and two counts of second-degree criminal contempt.

"Shunned from the synagogue where he worshiped after a sex abuse charge was levied against him, this defendant falsified court paperwork that he presented to a member of his synagogue’s leadership to get back into their good graces. Karkowsky fabricated language that he boldly attributed to a sitting judge giving a fictitious narrative for the dismissal of his case," said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. "The defendant later doubled down on this deceit by using the language he concocted to file multi-million-dollar lawsuits against Nassau County and the Woodmere Fire District and Department claiming he was falsely arrested and prosecuted. This defendant’s actions were a flagrant attack on the integrity of the criminal justice system – something this office will not stand for."

Karkowsky was sentenced on Thursday to one year in jail on each felony charge to run concurrently. The Nassau County D.A. recommended two to six years in prison.