“(Levy) is apparently trying to influence and affect the investigation, which could be perceived as an ethical violation of his official duties and perhaps even as an attempt to undermine it,” Smith said.
Hossu, 35, was arrested last week on charges he raped a 12-year-old girl twice in 2010. The victim only came forward recently, according to Smith.
Levy insisted he recused himself from the case as soon as he realized it involved Hossu, who his “family had known for years.”
That didn’t satisfy the sheriff, who also alleged the Romanian born Hossu had been in the country illegally for 12 years.
Sheindlin, 70, is the highest paid television personality in the United States with a yearly salary of $45 million. She was appointed to the criminal court in New York City in 1982 by then Mayor Ed Koch, who liked her tough, no-nonsense approach.
Asked about the case, she would only say that the drama was merely a distraction.
“The sole focus of this story should be the investigation as to whether a young girl was the victim of a very serious crime,” she said through a spokesman.