York County Judge Steven Stambaugh has been suspended without pay in the wake of federal allegations that he orchestrated an unemployment fraud scheme at his York-based personal-injury law firm, Stambaugh Law PC.
The suspension was handed down yesterday by the state’s court of judicial discipline following a motion from the state judicial conduct board, th
“The allegations supporting the felony charges against Judge Stambaugh undermine both public confidence in the judiciary and its reputation,” the conduct board argued in its motion. “If Judge Stambaugh is permitted to continue participating in cases before the 19th Judicial District during the pendency of these charges, the public’s confidence in the judiciary will continue to erode.”
Federal authorities charged Stambaugh this week on charges of wire and mail fraud, as well as witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
Stambaugh allegedly had his law firm’s employees apply for and collect unemployment benefits during the first two months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 even though they continued to work remotely for the firm, according to the charges, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Federal authorities also claim he asked an employee to lie if they were approached by federal investigators.
The charges, filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, are the result of a joint investigation involving officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and FBI.
“As alleged, the defendant orchestrated a scheme that defrauded the Commonwealth of unemployment benefits designed to provide relief amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and to further this fraud, sought to mislead federal investigators,” Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia, said in a statement.
Efforts to reach an attorney for Stambaugh were not successful.
He was elected to a 10-year term as a common pleas judge in November 2021.
