Already under the spotlight over a cheesesteak scandal, Judge Scott DiClaudio now faces new ethics charges and a suspension request.
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia judge already under fire for his involvement in his wife’s cheesesteak restaurant now faces new misconduct charges for allegedly trying to influence a colleague in the case of a friend of rapper Meek Mill.
The Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board filed formal charges on Tuesday against Common Pleas Judge Scott DiClaudio, accusing him of violating multiple provisions of the state’s Code of Judicial Conduct and the Pennsylvania Constitution.
The board also petitioned to suspend him without pay and revoke his probation from an earlier discipline case.
The charges stem from a June 12 meeting in DiClaudio’s judicial chambers, where, according to court documents, fellow Judge Zachary Shaffer and a law clerk purchased T-shirts promoting Shay’s Steaks, the Center City cheesesteak shop run by DiClaudio’s wife.
Officials allege that after the purchase, DiClaudio asked the clerk to leave and privately slid Shaffer a note with a courtroom number and the name of Dwayne Jones, a defendant awaiting sentencing before Shaffer.
“I’ve heard you might do the right thing anyway,” DiClaudio allegedly told Shaffer, before ripping up the note and discarding it. Jones, a social acquaintance of rapper Meek Mill, had pleaded guilty and was due for sentencing days later. Shaffer reported the exchange to court administrators and later recused himself from the case.
Administrative Judge Daniel Anders restricted DiClaudio’s duties to writing appellate opinions following the complaint, limiting his courtroom role.
The board charged DiClaudio with six counts, including failing to promote confidence in the judiciary, allowing personal relationships to influence his conduct and making statements that could affect a pending case. If proven, sanctions could range from censure to removal from the bench.
DiClaudio is already on probation from a 2019 case involving unpaid debts and tax liens, which resulted in a suspension without pay. He was found to have not acknowledged debt on his financial disclosure forms and did not obey court orders, leading to repeated contempt citations against him, according to court documents.
DiClaudio was also charged last year with ethics violations related to his role at Shay’s Steaks, a cheesesteak restaurant owned by his wife. The complaint alleges that he violated a rule that judges “not abuse the prestige of judicial office to advance the personal or economic interests of the judge or others, or allow others to do so.”
DiClaudio has called the ethics complaint a farce and dismissed accusations that he was using his position as a judge to promote the business.
“People do not come to Shay’s because a judge may make their cheesesteak,” DiClaudio told the Associated Press in April.
The board complaint noted that news coverage of the restaurant in Philadelphia — where cheesesteaks are the subject of perpetual public interest — has placed emphasis on his position as a judge. One story referred to him as “whiz honor” — a reference to the use of Cheez Whiz on some cheesesteaks.
The board said the new allegations, combined with his prior record, undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
The Court of Judicial Discipline will determine whether the charges are substantiated and, if so, what penalty he should face. DiClaudio is presumed innocent in all proceedings before the Court of Judicial Discipline, the board said. The board has the burden of proving the charges filed by clear and convincing evidence