Sol Wachtler
Claims to fame: New York State Chief Judge; high-profile Republican with big political aspirations; adulterer; stalker
Moral apex: Had longterm affair while he was married. She broke up with him. He started stalking her, threatening her, and once even sent a condom inside a greeting card to her 14-year-old daughter. When he threatened to kidnap the girl, Mom called the FBI; they tapped her phone, and nailed him.
The twist: She didn’t realize her stalker was Wachtler until he was arrested; he had been using a device to mask his voice over the phone.
Twinkie defense: Depression, addiction to amphetamines, and “causal toxicity.”
The end: He pleaded guilty to a number of different charges, including extortion, and was sentenced to 11 months, which he started serving in 1993.
Aftermath: Wrote a book, After the Madness: A Judge’s Own Prison Memoir. Critics said it was amazing how a book about life on the inside could be so dull.
Fun fact: Wachtler and his mistress were step-cousins by marriage.
Memorable quote:
“There will always be those who will refuse to accept the fact that a person can function in what appears to be a normal fashion in his or her job, and still suffer from a mental disorder.”
— After the Madness: A Judge’s Own Prison Memoir
Suggested New Testament reading for Mr. Wachtler:
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
— Matthew 17:15
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