Disgraced ex-judge allegedly threatened to burn down NY polling place on Election Day

A former upstate New York justice who did prison time for fixing cases in exchange for cash and sexual favors was locked up again after he allegedly threatened to burn down a polling place on Tuesday.

Disgraced ex-judge Paul Lamson, 69, onetime village justice in Fowler, was charged with making a terroristic threat after telling election officials at town offices that he would return with a gun and burn the building down, state troopers said in a press release.

Police said Lamson, who was released from state prison in 2019 after two years behind bars, walked into the Town of Fowler Offices shortly after 6:30 am Tuesday to cast his vote, but flipped out when he was told he couldn’t vote and was turned away.

Former village justice Paul Lamson.
Disgraced former Fowler Village Justice Paul Lamson was charged with threatening poll workers on Election Day. St. Lawrence County Jail

Town of Fowler Town Offices.
Lamson — who did prison time for fixing cases in exchange for cash and sexual favors — allegedly threatened to burn down the Town of Fowler Offices. WWNY

New York allows ex-cons to vote but police said the former judge hadn’t re-registered after leaving prison.

“He became irate and started making threatening remarks such as burning the place down and returning with a firearm,” state police said in a statement. “The male fled the scene.”

Lamson, who pleaded guilty to bribe receiving and official misconduct in 2017 for taking bribes from defendants, was arrested near the scene, WWNY-TV said.

He was arraigned later in the day and ordered held on $250,000 bail, state police said.

It was unclear if Lamson was still being held in jail on Wednesday and the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for information from The Post.

Related Posts


This will close in 0 seconds