Judge Pleads Guilty to Stealing Panties from Neighbor’s Home

A suspended Long Island, New York, judge pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing multiple pairs of panties from his neighbor’s home, authorities said.

Robert Cicale, 50, entered a guilty plea for second-degree attempted burglary in Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip, the Daily Mail reported.

Suffolk police arrested Cicale on March 29, 2018, after he had been knocking on his neighbor’s door. He was said to have left the home of another neighbor before arriving at the second neighbor’s home.

The first neighbor was the residence of a 23-year-old former intern at the Islip town attorney’s office where the judge used to work.

Police discovered that Cicale— who was elected as a judge in 2015— had several pairs of women’s underwear stuffed in his suit and raincoat when he was arrested, CBS New York reported.

“He violated the law, the public’s trust and the victims’ sense of security,” District Attorney Timothy Sini said in a news release issued Friday. “Today’s disposition holds him accountable for his actions and serves justice.”

Cicale’s defense attorney claimed his client had changed from his past behavior.

“Judge Cicale accepted responsibility for his actions today,” Brown said in court. “He has served the people of Suffolk County honorably for the last 26 years, as a Legal Aid attorney, Town of Islip attorney and a district court judge. He has dealt with his mental illness issues in a proactive manner and is a better person for doing so.”

Cicale said he entered the home on multiple occasions to take the underwear from the hamper and left before he got caught.

“I went into the house to take the panties again but left when I heard someone home,” Cicale allegedly told officers during his arrest. “The panties I had on me are from the other times I went into the house.”

Cicale is scheduled to be sentenced on November 15. Prosecutors say he faces up to five years of probation and will have to register as a sex offender.