MDJ Amy Zanelli Formally Seeks "Diversionary Treatment" For Alleged Judicial Misconduct

Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board filed a complaint in January against Amy Zanelli, Magisterial District Judge in West Bethlehem and Fountain Hill. Numerous infractions of the Code of Judicial Conduct are alleged. 

These include the following:

(1) Maintaining a "Book of Grudges" about individuals who appeared before her, including a lawyer she referred to as "Just a Dick." 

(2) Maintaining a desk calendar with explicit sexual messages like "Bedroom Pants He'll Have to Slide Through If He Wants That Pussy."

(3) Denying a Defendant his Constitutional right to hear the evidence against him or to cross-examine the victim.

(4) Rude behavior to a county employee: "I am the judge, and you are just the fucking secretary." She also used profanity such as "cuntrageous" in courtroom settings.

(5) Numerous late arrivals and absences, which obviously denies litigants the right to a prompt disposition.

(6) Conducting Zoom hearings without authorization. 

Zanelli is represented by Sam Stretton, the go-to lawyer for lawyers and judges accused of ethical or judicial misconduct. Instead of addressing these accusations on the merits, Attorney Stretton has filed a petition that would place her in what is known as a "diversionary program." But as he himself concedes, nothing in the Rules of Procedure for Judicial Discipline establish such a program. The program envisioned, I imagine, is similar to accelerated rehabilitative dispositions for first offenders accused on minor crimes.  

In this petition, filed January 29, Stretton states that a psychiatrist retained by the Judicial Conduct Board has examined Zanelli and identified "certain issues be addressed" in any course of treatment. Based on that report, Zanelli has been seeing a psychologist who will testify that she has been making "excellent progress." He avers that she's a prime candidate for diversion and wants a hearing to make his case. 

Strangely, he denies that she has a mental health disability. I believe his own petition suggests otherwise. 

In the meantime, Zanelli has been sued in federal court by Francis Oran, who alleges that he appeared before her on several driving suspension cases and was found guilty even though the state court that imposed this suspension ultimately reversed itself. He also claims that she imposed fines without conducting required ability-to-pay hearings. He contends his "experience was not the result of isolated judicial error but reflects a systemic pattern of unconstitutional conduct toward unrepresented litigants ... ." Unfortunately for Oran, he remains unrepresented in his federal lawsuit. 

Stretton's petition for some kind of diversionary treatment is novel, but I suggest that she needs to step down while she gets whatever treatment she needs. I've been covering her for years, and while I'm no shrink, I can categorically state that she's cuckoo for cocoa puffs and has been for some time. I've been warning you about her since 2105 with these stories: 

Finnigan Henpecked Over Hanover Fowl Ban (She appeared before Hanover's Board of Supervisors, seeking a change in a ban on backyard chickens. There's nothing unusual about that, but what was totally bizarre to me was that she insisted on flashing her badge as a NorCo Human Services caseworker..)

Why You Need to Vote For Dennis Pearson For LC Comm'r (In this story about her primary campaign for LC Comm're, I tell you that she was once employed in NJ's Child Protective Services, but was fired in 2012 because she refused to return to work after receiving a number of leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Though she refused to work, she dropped in on her office one day to deliver Avon products to co-workers. Zanelli appealed her termination and lost. She told me she was a victim of discrimination.)

LC Comm'r Race: Candidate Chicken Lady Cries Fowl (In an email to me, before blocking me, Zanelli claimed she had been "exonerated" In Jersey. That is pure horse shit).

>Judicial Candidate Amy Zanelli Supports Looting, Lies About Being Fired (When running for MDJ, Zanelli actually stated that looting was an appropriate response to slavery. Say what? And she also took me to task for pointing out her termination in Jersey and later, in NorCo.  She called them "false accusations and fake news. With that said, this would not be the first time in history that an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down."  The problem with her denial is that her own lawyer actually admitted that she was terminated in Jersey, appealed, and lost her appeal. She was also terminated in NorCo, as per her own lawyer in a custody dispute.)

Zanelli Embellished Her Social Work in Jersey (When running for MDJ, she told a fawning Josh Popichak that her "ability to see things others didn't led me to go into investigative work on a state level for the State of New Jersey. ,,, I specialized in sex crimes and homicides and abuse and neglect for children ... ." She was a caseworker, not Phillip Marlowe. She also claimed she had to move her because she had been targeted by the bad guys).

Amy Zanelli's Nonjudicial Behavior in Custody Trial (While running for MDJ, Zanelli was in the middle of a custody battle. This is how then President Judge Michael J Koury, Jr., characterized her demeanor: "Mother's demeanor varied from happy to openly hostile. ... Mother repeatedly referred to the custody trial as a 'circus.' ... Mother accused opposing counsel of  'play[ing] semantics and stated that her questioning was 'crap.'")

MDJ Candidate Amy Zanelli Kicked Out of Fountain Hill Pool (While running for MDJ, she was ejected from Fountain Hill's Pool for interjecting herself when a manager admonished some unruly teens).

Zanelli Neglected Children in Jersey, But Wants to Be a Judge (Here I append a New Jersey rejection of her appeal from her termination as a caseworker. Incidentally, The Morning Call had this information as well, but refused to publish it. I guess the paper lacked the desire to do its job, which is to cast a glaring spotlight on public officials)

Amy "Karen" Zanelli Detests Three-on-Three Hoops (In August 2019, she summoned police over a group of minors playing three-on-three hoops, with Latin music playing. Police took no action).

Why was Amy Zanelli Fired in Northampton County (She was a probationary caseworker who did not want to work.)

Magisterial District Judge Amy Zanelli Under Investigation By Judicial Conduct Board (This is when I told you, in September '24, that she was under investigation.)

Despite clear evidence that she's a wackadoodle, she was pushed by former LC Exec Tom Muller when she ran for County Comm'r. And that board actually made her their Chair. Then, when she ran for MDJ, she was pushed by outfits like LV4ALL (who agree with us) because she checked the right boxes as a gay woman who supports progressive causes. The dying news media either ignored information handed to them (Morning Call) or drooled over her (Saucon Source). 

She was elected in a district that only elects Democrats. That same district just re-elected her successor to LC's Board of Commissioners, Zach Cole-Borgi. 

We All Make Mistakes - Amy Zannelli Endorsements For MDJ in 2021

Zanelli was charges last week with judicial misconduct in her role as a Magisterial District Judge. You can read the details here.

MDJ Zanelli Accused of Keeping "Book of Grudges," Hostile Work Environment, Numerous Absences

Amy Zanelli is the Magisterial District Judge in West Bethlehem and Fountain Hill. But her days as a jurist may soon be over. The Judicial Conduct Board has finally taken action against her for numerous infractions of the Code of Judicial Conduct.  Before I get into that, I have to tell you that I have been warning you about her since 2015. Her are links to numerous stories about her.

Finnigan Henpecked Over Hanover Fowl Ban (She appeared before Hanover's Board of Supervisors, seeking a change in a ban on backyard chickens. There's nothing unusual about that, but what was totally bizarre to me was that she insisted on flashing her badge as a NorCo Human Services caseworker..)

Why You Need to Vote For Dennis Pearson For LC Comm'r (In this story about her primary campaign for LC Comm're, I tell you that she was once employed in NJ's Child Protective Services, but was fired in 2012 because she refused to return to work after receiving a number of leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Though she refused to work, she dropped in on her office one day to deliver Avon products to co-workers. Zanelli appealed her termination and lost. She told me she was a victim of discrimination.)

LC Comm'r Race: Candidate Chicken Lady Cries Fowl (In an email to me, before blocking me, Zanelli claimed she had been "exonerated" In Jersey. That is pure horse shit).

Judicial Candidate Amy Zanelli Supports Looting, Lies About Being Fired (When running for MDJ, Zanelli actually stated that looting was an appropriate response to slavery. Say what? And she also took me to task for pointing out her termination in Jersey and later, in NorCo.  She called them "false accusations and fake news. With that said, this would not be the first time in history that an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down."  The problem with her denial is that her own lawyer actually admitted that she was terminated in Jersey, appealed, and lost her appeal. She was also terminated in NorCo, as per her own lawyer in a custody dispute.)

Zanelli Embellished Her Social Work in Jersey (When running for MDJ, she told a fawning Josh Popichak that her "ability to see things others didn't led me to go into investigative work on a state level for the State of New Jersey. ,,, I specialized in sex crimes and homicides and abuse and neglect for children ... ." She was a caseworker, not Phillip Marlowe. She also claimed she had to move her because she had been targeted by the bad guys).

Amy Zanelli's Nonjudicial Behavior in Custody Trial (While running for MDJ, Zanelli was in the middle of a custody battle. This is how then President Judge Michael J Koury, Jr., characterized her demeanor: "Mother's demeanor varied from happy to openly hostile. ... Mother repeatedly referred to the custody trial as a 'circus.' ... Mother accused opposing counsel of  'play[ing] semantics and stated that her questioning was 'crap.'")

MDJ Candidate Amy Zanelli Kicked Out of Fountain Hill Pool (While running for MDJ, she was ejected from Fountain Hill's Pool for interjecting herself when a manager admonished some unruly teens).

Zanelli Neglected Children in Jersey, But Wants to Be a Judge (Here I append a New Jersey rejection of her appeal from her termination as a caseworker. Incidentally, The Morning Call had this information as well, but refused to publish it. I guess the paper lacked the desire to do its job, which is to cast a glaring spotlight on public officials)

Amy "Karen" Zanelli Detests Three-on-Three Hoops (In August 2019, she summoned police over a group of minors playing three-on-three hoops, with Latin music playing. Police took no action).

Why was Amy Zanelli Fired in Northampton County (She was a probationary caseworker who did not want to work.)

Magisterial District Judge Amy Zanelli Under Investigation By Judicial Conduct Board (This is when I told you, in September '24, that she was under investigation.)

Despite clear evidence that she's a wackadoodle, she was pushed by LC Exec Tom Muller when she ran for County Comm'r. And that board actually made her their Chair. Then, when she ran for MDJ, she was pushed by outfits like LV4ALL (who agree with us) because she checked the right boxes as a gay woman who supports progressive causes. The dying news media either ignored information handed to them (Morning Call) or drooled over her (Saucon Source). 

Her backyard chickens have come home to roost. In the Complaint filed by the Judicial Conduct Board, she is accused of the following: 

(1) Maintaining a "Book of Grudges" about individuals who appeared before her, including a lawyer she referred to as "Just a Dick." 

(2) Maintaining a desk calendar with explicit sexual messages like "Bedroom Pants He'll Have to Slide Through If He Wants That Pussy."

(3) Denying a Defendant his Constitutional right to hear the evidence against him or to cross-examine the victim.

(4) Rude behavior to a county employee: "I am the judge, and you are just the fucking secretary." She also used profanity such as "cuntrageous" in courtroom settings.

(5) Numerous late arrivals and absences, which obviously denies litigants the right to a prompt disposition.

(6) Conducting Zoom hearings without authorization. 

Here's the Complaint.

 

Complaint Against Magisterial District Judge Amy L. Zanelli, 1 JD 2026 by BernieOHare

LC Comm'r Race: Candidate Chicken Lady Cries Fowl

Amy Zanelli is the establishment candidate for Lehigh County Commissioner in District Three, which includes west Bethlehem and Allentown's east side. Incumbent Tom Muller endorsed her on the very night that he decided against seeking re-election himself. Two other Democrats, opportunist Basilio Bonilla and longtime citizen activist Dennis Pearson, were also running. Muller shoved them aside without doing his homework. Had he done so, he would have learned she was fired in 2012 for failing to show up at her job as a caseworker for child protective services in New Jersey.  He would have known that she was fired from a similar position in Northampton County in 2015. Muller told the crowd that Zanelli had been an announcer with the Lehigh Valley Roller Girls, but this is what Lehigh Valley Roller Girl Michelle Torte MessaHess said on her Facebook page: "DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS WOMAN. I care too much for Lehigh County and its residents. She is mentally unfit, financially irresponsible, and devoid of familial accountability. She has caused tyranny in several, local non-profit organizations within Lehigh and surrounding counties. DO WHAT'S RIGHT. SHARE THIS POST AND VOTE NO TO AMY ZANELLI."

Muller failed to mention that Zanelli is Hanover Township's chicken lady. Before she got canned by Northampton County, she lived in Hanover Township.She showed up at a Supervisors' meeting one night, asking them to do something about the Township's ban on backyard chickens She received permission to make a presentation at the following meeting, but never showed.

I spoke with Zanelli about these allegations, which she said were dismissed by the newspaper and WFMZ-TV69. She told me her termination in New Jersey was the result of discrimination. In Northampton, it was a misunderstanding about her hours. My own view of the information I had is that there are too many red flags for her. So after some thought, I posted a story entitled, "Why You Need to Vote for Dennis Pearson for LC Comm'r."

Zanelli published this comment, I wish to share it with you.

Greetings Mr. O’Hare and friends. My apologies for being late to the game here, but I didn’t realize this piece ran until I received a message from Dennis this morning. I will be the first to tell you that I have the utmost respect for Dennis and have no qualms about your endorsement of his candidacy. However, I think it’s important to note that the allegations regarding my raising chickens and my former places of employment are unfounded. For the record, I did not need to show up to the next township meeting. I was granted permission to raise my chickens into adulthood and re-home them for the sake of the children who were helping to care for them. And I did. In addition, the controversy surrounding my previous employment is untrue. In fact, it was at the hands of my competition that several news sources in the area received this false information and this was the only website where it appeared. Several days ago, I spoke to Mr. O’Hare and offered to meet with him to show him proof that in both instances, I was exonerated of all false claims. He refused. Neither case involved FMLA and since leaving Northampton County, they have since sent correspondence offering me two similar positions of employment, both at higher levels and pay grades. I have proof of those as well. I do not know who made a post on my behalf last night, but for that I am grateful. I can assure you it was not myself and my camp is too busy working to get me elected to spend their valuable time entertaining false accusations and fake news. With that said, this would not be the first time in history that an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down. But as my grandmother used to say, if you have a target on your back it’s only because you’re so far ahead that it’s all they can see of you. See you all at the polls.

Unfounded claims.- Nothing I wrote is "unfounded." She was terminated in 2012 from a child protective services agency in New Jersey at a time when  staffing shortages and increased complaints had reached crisis levels. She appealed her Jersey termination and an arbitrator ruled against her. I have a copy of the lengthy decision. She simply refused to work, letting our most vulnerable element, our children, go without protection.

While refusing to come to work, she was being treated for a mental illness of some kind and was both receiving medication and undergoing therapy. Though too sick to work, she was still selling Avon products and brought them in for other workers.

The same thing happened in Northampton County, where she was terminated before her probation was up because of a disagreement over the number of hours she would work.Once again, she let down the most vulnerable element of our society.

Newspaper coverage.-  With limited exceptions, newspapers run for the hills from election stories. While there is always the danger that they are being played, failure to report at all is in my view irresponsible.I believe voters have a right to know that Zanelli was terminated from two positions and that some people take a very dim view of her role in ventures like the Lehigh Valley Roller Girls.

The chickens.- Zanelli now claims she had no reason to return to the Supervisors because the Township made special accommodations for her. She had50 people sign a petition for her and then let them all down because she was given whatever she wanted. Are you beginning to see a pattern?

Refusal to meet her.-  She did offer to meet with me concerning this matter, but she answered my questions so I saw no point. She may have concluded that I refused to meet her, but why would I call her if I didn't want her side? She gave it to me, and those flags were still there. I certainly would have met her if that is what she wanted.  

Sexism. - Zanelli finished by asserting that she is "an intelligent, well-spoken, beautiful woman" who "has intimidated a man who then feels the need to spread rumors and lies in an attempt to tear her down." Actually Amy, what you look like is irrelevant to me, as is your sex. There were no lies. No rumors. Just facts.

Dennis Pearson and Bob Smith are both head and shoulders above these other candidates They have integrity something missing from Zanelli and Bonilla. They have their roots here,and do not move every three seconds.

Why You Need to Vote For Dennis Pearson For LC Comm'r

Dennis Pearson

Never say never. At age 70, Dennis Pearson is finally a married man. I also believe the time has come for the people of Lehigh County to elect him as a District Commissioner representing West Bethlehem and Allentown's east side. He has been a tireless advocate for neighborhoods, and has taken a keen interest in local government for decades.  While his delivery has always raised eyebrows and snickers, his dedication and knowledge are beyond dispute.

Dennis has two Democratic rivals.One of them is Basilio Bonilla, a former Bethlehem School Director who , when he bothered showing up, managed to piss everyone off. A grandstander, he was yanked from every committee post after Bethlehem's School Board had to apologize for a second time to Allentown's School Board after he attempted to interfere in their business. Some say he's matured. I'd prefer to see him spend more time serving his community instead of being a professional candidate.

Then there's Amy Zanelli, the supposed establishment candidate. I remember her as the chicken lady.

In 2015, Zanelli lived in Hanover Township, Northampton County and appeared at a Supervisors' meeting to complain about the Township's ban on chickens in residential areas. She told Supervisors she was a caseworker in Children and Youth. Flashing her badge,she accused Manager Jay Finnigan of fowl play for refusing to allow her to own backyard chickens. She asked Supervisors if she could make a presentation at their next meeting, and they agreed, but she never showed up.

That was the last I saw of the chicken lady until early this year, when Tom Muller announced he had decided against running for re-election as Lehigh County Executive Muller singled the chicken lady out as his preferred candidate in that district. She was identified as a Rutgers grad who worked in child protective services in New Jersey and now is a realtor.

What Muller failed to mention is that the chicken lady had been fired.

Zanelli had been employed as an intake worker in Somerset County, but was terminated in 2012 because she refused to return to work after receiving a number of leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Though she refused to work, she dropped in on her office one day to deliver Avon products to co-workers.

Zanelli appealed her termination and lost.

She told me she was a victim of discrimination.

Zanelli worked in Northampton County Children and Youth as a caseworker between  March and October 2015. She was terminated there as well, and during her probationary period.

She told me this was because her hours had been expanded beyond the time she had agreed to give.

Dennis is far superior to both of these candidates.