Exclusive | Meet NYCs worst pro-defendant judge who frees violent perps, allegedly berates sex-crime victims and prosecutors
New York City’s worst judge — who lets violent perps walk free a stunning 85% of the time — was once so “condescending” to a sex-crime victim, the woman refused to testify in her courtroom, sources told The Post.Queens Criminal Court Judge Wanda “Wendy” Licitra is “the bane of our existence,” a Queens District Attorney insider said.“She has no concern whatsoever for victims of crimes.”Out of 43 violent felony cases overseen by Licitra between January and June 2024, she set bail only five times and held no suspects in pretrial detention — an 85% release rate, according to a Post review of the latest available Office of Court Administration data. That was the highest rate of all city judges with at least 25 felony criminal cases, The Post found.Licitra’s alleged affinity for criminals was on display in a 2024 sex-crime case, two sources said.Licitra, 65, “declared a mistrial during summations on the case because she didn’t think the [prosecuting] attorney was doing a good job,” one source said, noting the judge spoke down to the victim during the proceedings.“When the case came up for retrial, the woman who testified before her refused to testify again,” the source explained.The Democrat jurist’s treatment of the victim was a serious problem, a second source added.
“The victim was not happy with the way the judge had spoken to her.”The case was ultimately dismissed.“This awful thing happens … and because of the way they’re treated within the system that’s supposed to be protecting them, she was not willing to testify again,” the insider said.“It’s really sad.”Licitra, a former Legal Aid defense attorney who now earns upwards of $196,200 as a judge, has no love for assistant district attorneys either, critics said.“She’s disrespectful to prosecutors.
She loves defense attorneys, but when prosecutors open up their mouths, she’s condescending and she’s nasty,” one of the sources said.The second inside...