Judge Enters Guilty Plea, Quits Bench

A judge and landlord accused of running an arson-for-profit scheme and hiring thugs to assault his poor and elderly tenants pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges Wednesday and resigned from the bench.

Civil Court Judge Samuel Weinberg, 61, faces 20 years in prison and a $25,000 fine at his sentencing, scheduled for June 26.

Weinberg, who was suspended at the time of his indictment last June, resigned and agreed to pay tenants $150,000 from the profits he reportedly made by overcharging them for rent-controlled apartments.