March 10, 2008 -- His testimony helped nail crooked Judge Gerald Garson, and he paid for his own misdeeds with eight months in jail - but disgraced matrimonial lawyer Paul Siminovsky says there are still rotten eggs in Brooklyn.
"There are three judges in Brooklyn that slammed me in the press," Siminovsky told The Post. "When I was taking them out to lunch or contributing to their election campaigns, they never said no to me. When I did that, I was all right, a good guy."
Siminovsky declined to say who else he had wined and dined other than Garson. But in his first public comments since walking out of jail last month, he hinted that Garson, his former mentor, was just part of the problem.
"I heard that when I testified, a lot of court workers had some bad things to say about me," he said. "When I was taking them out to lunch and being Mr. Nice Guy, no one had anything bad to say about me."
Siminovsky, 49, was caught accepting money from litigants seeking to bribe Garson, but quickly worked out a deal for himself. Working with prosecutors, he wore a wire and got the judge to accept gifts, including a box of cigars, in exchange for favors and advice in his matrimonial courtroom.
The George Washington University Law School graduate said he believed that Garson's high-profile trial would root out some of the more obvious and inappropriate schmoozing between judges and attorneys.
"The minor-league problem will always go on," he said, referring to small-time corruption. "Favors still get done, but I think it is cleaner in the sense that people are being more careful. I think people want to believe it is better."
Siminovsky got four months off his sentence for good behavior.
alex.ginsberg@nypost.com
"There are three judges in Brooklyn that slammed me in the press," Siminovsky told The Post. "When I was taking them out to lunch or contributing to their election campaigns, they never said no to me. When I did that, I was all right, a good guy."
Siminovsky declined to say who else he had wined and dined other than Garson. But in his first public comments since walking out of jail last month, he hinted that Garson, his former mentor, was just part of the problem.
"I heard that when I testified, a lot of court workers had some bad things to say about me," he said. "When I was taking them out to lunch and being Mr. Nice Guy, no one had anything bad to say about me."
Siminovsky, 49, was caught accepting money from litigants seeking to bribe Garson, but quickly worked out a deal for himself. Working with prosecutors, he wore a wire and got the judge to accept gifts, including a box of cigars, in exchange for favors and advice in his matrimonial courtroom.
The George Washington University Law School graduate said he believed that Garson's high-profile trial would root out some of the more obvious and inappropriate schmoozing between judges and attorneys.
"The minor-league problem will always go on," he said, referring to small-time corruption. "Favors still get done, but I think it is cleaner in the sense that people are being more careful. I think people want to believe it is better."
Siminovsky got four months off his sentence for good behavior.
alex.ginsberg@nypost.com
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