BUFFALO, NY – New York State Supreme Court Justice Mark Grisanti stood shirtless outside his Buffalo home yelling and threatening police as they handcuffed his loud-mouthed wife who was screaming at, and taunting officers to arrest her. The incident happened on June 23rd, but has come to light today after a Freedom of Information Act request has made the police officer’s bodycam footage public. According to Grisanti, it was just a “girl fight” and he felt officers overreacted and mistreated his wife who was engaged in an argument with what appeared to be her neighbors. Now, the judge is being investigated by the New York State Committee on Judicial Conduct, which could end up removing him from the bench.
At one point, Judge Grisanti shoved the officers as they were cuffing his wife. Grisanti told the officers he has family members who are cops and that he is friends with the mayor.
“Ma’am, if you don’t stop yelling, this is going to be a problem for you,” the officer said to Grisanti’s wife who was screaming at the officer from across the street.
“I don’t care, you can’t arrest me,” she said before being pulled to the ground and handcuffed while resisting the officer.
While being handcuffed, Judge Grisanti aggressively approached the police officer, forcefully shoving the officer away from his wife.
“Dude you’re going to get off my fucking wife,” Grisanti said. “Dude, my daughter and my son are both Buffalo police officers.”
“I know,” the officer responded. “But you are not going to fight a cop.”
“If you don’t get the cuffs off her right now, you are going to have a problem,” he said. “I am going to call my son and daughter who are lieutenants.”
The officer advised Grisanti to call whoever he needed.
Later, another cop took issue with Grisanti dropping names of cops in public, saying he’s creating a scene and implying that the cops would give him preferential treatment, saying he is a good friend with the mayor. He was then cuffed by a cop who gave him a firm knifehand treatment.
“Shut up and let me talk to you, you old geezer,” the cop said. “You’re dropping everyone’s name with a fucking badge, how doe that look in this environment right now, what do you want me to do?”
Before being appointed as a judge by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Grisanti served as a Senator in the New York State Senate. According to his biography on the Senate website, Mark was born on October 21, 1964. He was raised in the City of Buffalo and is the youngest of six brothers and sisters. Mark graduated from Sweet Home High School and attended Canisius College, where he received his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English. After finishing his undergraduate degree he received his Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan. Throughout college he served as a member of the Student Bar Association, received numerous certificates and book awards and was also a member of the Entertainment Committee for the Bar Association and the Italian Law Society.After graduating from law school, Mark went on to work at his father’s law firm, a small business that his grandfather founded in 1921.
No charges have been filed to date against Grisanti or his wife.