Prosecutor: Ex-Pa. Judge Lied to Collect Insurance

A federal prosecutor says a retired judge used “outright lies and half truths” to collect $440,000 from two insurance companies by faking injuries in a 2001 fender-bender.

Retired Superior Court Judge Michael Joyce is on trial in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh on mail fraud and money laundering.

The mail fraud stems from letters Joyce sent to an insurance company trying to collect the claim and the money laundering is for allegedly spending the proceeds on downpayments on a house and small private plane, among other things.

The trial is expected to last about a month. Joyce faces prison and fines if convicted, and potentially the loss of his pension.