A Matter of Corruption

A Matter of Corruption

Revenge Can Turn You into the Person You Despise

Judge Joseph Crater was appointed an associate justice on the New York State Supreme Court in April 1930 by then New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Many people believe he was appointed to the court due to his involvement with New York City's Tammany Hall corrupt officials. Many of his unethical activities came to light after his disappearance in August 1930, including his association with several New York gangsters and numerous suspicious financial dealings.

The judge was last seen on the evening of August 6, 1930 after getting into a taxi cab in front of Billy Haas's Chop House in the 300 block of west 45th Street in Manhattan, after having dinner with his friend, attorney William Klein and his girlfriend, showgirl Sally Lou Ritz.

There have been many dubious sightings of the judge. He has been seen walking along Park Avenue in New York, prospecting in California, herding sheep in the Pacific Northwest, and hanging out in Havana. 

There are many theories about what happened to the judge that night. Theories include amnesia, killed by a blackmailer, died at a brothel and buried to avoid publicity. None have ever been confirmed, and the judge was declared legally deceased in 1939.

The case remains unsolved.

This book looks at one wholly fictional possibility of why the judge disappeared.