WHITE PLAINS – Monroe Town Justice Lurlyn Winchester appeared on the other side of the bench in federal court court on Wednesday after she was arrested and charged with lying on a residential mortgage application and fudging documents about her legal place of residence.
Winchester, 58, who is an attorney with an office in Rockland County and is an elected Monroe town justice, by law must live in Monroe. She and her husband live in New City.
When she was nominated as the Democratic candidate for judge, she listed a Monroe address and then registered to vote in Monroe.
Winchester later applied for a mortgage to purchase a home in Monroe, contending she had a renter for the Rockland County residence and was going to rent out space in her new home to supplement her income to cover her mortgage.
She is charged with providing the mortgage company with checks purported
to be rent from a tenant, when it was learned that she had given that
person the money and had the individual write checks back to her.
Winchester was charged with one count of making false statements to a mortgage lending business, which carries up to 30 years in prison. She is also accused of falsifying records in a federal investigation, with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation. That charge carries up to 20 years in prison.
Actual sentencing will be up to the judge.
Assisting the federal authorities in the investigation were the Orange County Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s offices.
