ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVB)– On June 22, Buffalo Police responded to a fight between neighbors on Duluth Avenue and before long, the wife of State Supreme Court Justice Mark Grisanti ends up in handcuffs, prompting this reaction from the judge.
“If you don’t get the cuffs off her right now you’re gonna have a problem,” Grisanti said.
He is seen pushing the officer who’s putting cuffs on Mrs. Grisanti.
“He was very quick to name drop. He went on to say that he was personal friends of Mayor Brown. He was quick to say his daughter and son-in-law are both Buffalo Police Officers,” said Gina Mele.
Mele and her husband are the neighbors who the Grisantis were fighting with over the way the Meles parked their cars on the street.
The Erie County District Attorney’s Office spent s couple weeks reviewing the case and opted not to press criminal charges against those involved.”
But the NY State Commission on Judicial Conduct is still looking into the matter and Gina has written to them.
“I feel my civil rights were violated, that the corruption and the cover up in Buffalo needs to stop,” Mele said.
Grisanti’s attorney, Leonard Zaccagnino disputes the idea that there was preferential treatment.
“I want people to remember at the end of this situation what happened was he and his wife were both handcuffed and they were taken down to the police station. So I don’t call that preferential treatment.”
George Richert is an award-winning reporter who first joined the News 4 team in 1998, later returning in 2018. See more of his work here.