Ethics Probe Targets Retired Judge
The state Commission on Judicial Performance confirmed Tuesday that it has launched an investigation of former Pomona Superior Court Judge George W. Trammell, who retired Jan. 9 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
The panel’s ethics probe follows the disclosure April 7 that the district attorney’s office will not file charges against Trammell for his role in a relationship that developed last year with Pifen Lo, 37, a former defendant in his courtroom.
Trammell has characterized the relationship with Lo as amiable. It developed after he sentenced her to probation in a complicated case that stems from allegations of computer piracy and kidnapping.
Lo’s husband, Ming Jin, 38, contends that the judge had sex with his wife while he was awaiting sentencing by Trammell and faced life in prison. The judge has denied that his relationship with Lo turned sexual.
Jin, convicted by a jury of kidnapping, is seeking a new trial. A hearing on the new trial bid is scheduled today in Orange County Superior Court.
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