Top judge who quit during ethics probe still has NY-paid driver, guard

New York’s former chief judge — who resigned in July while facing an ethics probe — still has court officers assigned to chauffeur and protect her using a pair of state-owned SUVs, The Post has learned.

One of the bodyguards was repeatedly seen sitting in a black Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo outside ex-Judge Janet DiFiore’s swank penthouse condo in Westchester County this week.

The other was spotted behind the wheel of a black Chevrolet Tahoe with state Unified Court System plates that circled the block when not parked in front of the building.  

Since her resignation took effect on Aug. 31, DiFiore, 67, has been chauffeured to a New York Giants football game, on shopping trips and to restaurants for dinner, according to a source familiar with the matter.

She’s also been accompanied at times by unidentified associates, the source said.

Those trips appear to violate terms of a 2018 state court policy memo cited by Law360, which first reported Thursday that court officers were continuing to serve DiFiore.

The memo reportedly says that “personal use” of state vehicles is prohibited and that they “may only be used to transport passengers unless they are state employees engaged in official business or non-state employees engaged in official business with state employees.”

In addition, the Office of Court Administration has never before provided a former chief judge with vehicles and court officers, a source said.

The officers assigned to DiFiore work about 15 to 20 hours of overtime a week, including on weekends, and are on pace to earn about $150,000 annually, a source said.

“This is just an outrageous perk costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars,” a law enforcement source said.

A spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration said in a prepared statement Thursday that the unusual arrangement did not violate any court rules.

“While we do not discuss security arraignments, the type and level of security is determined by law enforcement personnel in our Department of Public Safety, not individual judges,” spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.

“Unfortunately, but not surprisingly in the current environment, the determination was made in this situation that a continued presence is necessary for the former chief judge.”

Chalfen declined to elaborate or say if DiFiore faced any specific threat.

But in a follow-up statement, he appeared to blame the situation on New York State Court Officers Association President Dennis Quirk, who was suspended from his court officer job for alleged misconduct last year after posting DiFiore’s home addresses on Facebook while feuding with her over a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for court workers.

At the time, Chalfen said Quirk put DiFiore at “grave risk of death” by revealing the addresses of her homes in Westchester and the Hamptons.

“When disgruntled individuals get into the doxxing business, purposely exposing information on public officials such as home addresses and telephone numbers, you can’t then say: Why is there a need for heightened awareness and law enforcement security?” Chalfen said Thursday.

Quirk, who retired before his 30-day suspension ended but still heads the union, called for a “criminal” investigation into DiFiore’s security arrangements.

“There has been no reported threat against Judge DiFiore. It is illegal, unnecessary and a waste of taxpayer’s money,” he said.

DiFiore unexpectedly resigned just six years into her 14-year term leading New York’s highest court, saying it was “time for me to move on to the next chapter of my professional life” without giving the reason why.

But it was quickly revealed that she was under investigation by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct in connection with a letter she wrote to the hearing officer in Quirk’s disciplinary case.

In the August 2021 letter, DiFiore said Quirk “exhibits no remorse” and urged that the hearing officer “use every means at your disposal to address this incident and deter future misconduct by respondent.”

DiFiore declined to be interviewed on Thursday evening when a doorman at her building contacted her at The Post’s request.

“She said she’s not expecting anyone. You’re not allowed up,” the doorman said.

DiFiore also didn’t return a text message sent to a cellphone listed in her name.