69 year old zealous criminal defense attorney Richard Silverstein bounced a $250 trustee check yet he effectively got suspended for life because Judge Brian Fischer noted he had old minor grievances going back decades related to his drug addiction. Fischer basically punished him for having had a drug addiction decades ago. Fisher issued the following order: “Most attorneys with the disciplinary track record of the Respondent would have crawled on their hands and knees to deliver the requested documents to the Grievance Committees fearing their right to practice law could be suspended at any time. The Respondent’s cavalier attitude towards the grievance process is staggering.”

Blond attorney Erika Trotta-Todd mismanaged her trustee account, failed random audits, co-mingled her personal funds with clients funds, was short $71K in clients funds, didn’t respond to the authorities in a timely manner, and was held in contempt for practicing law while under suspension. In the past Trotta was in foreclosure on her house in which she had huge IRS and judgment liens and her law firm was evicted from a downtown New Haven office tower in which it was alleged she owed back rent and other fees. She repeatedly failed to respond to letters from the judicial authorities and when she finally responded she said she lost her records. She failed to cooperate with the audits. Yet she ended up reaching a sweetheart deal with disciplinary counsel Leanne Larson, which was approved by Judge Bellis, in which her suspension would be brief and she would not have to appear before the long and protracted standing committee hearings, which Richard Silverstein will have to do, if he lives so long, and which I have been doing for the last six years. Trotta was never told that she needed to “crawl on her hands and knees to deliver the requested documents” before the disciplinary authorities, unlike Silverstein. Trotta would have NEVER been granted readmission had she been forced to appear before the Standing Committees with her record of eviction, foreclosure, judgment liens, IRS liens, Town tax liens, medical liens, and whatever else Mr. Noodles has yet to uncover.

Attorney Leanne Larson, who makes over $150K a year, is not known to go easy on attorneys accused of misconduct. Larson recently engaged in highly unethical conduct herself, in my opinion, when she submitted inflammatory evidence to a reviewing panel after her superior Christopher Slack agreed it would not be submitted to any panel or judge, and Slack sent a copy of his email confirming this to Larson. Larson ignored the email and submitted this evidence to a panel that ended up ruling against the attorney. Eventually the discipline was overturned by Judge Welch, but only after years of protracted litigation. The attorney who got sandbagged by Larson argued the following to Judge Lynch: “Attorney Larson published the decision on the Court’s website and she provided the decision to this Court in an effort to prejudice the Court and to get the Court to consider it. Such rogue conduct should not be countenanced. Attorney Larson was copied on the correspondence with SBC Christopher Slack and therefore knew that the Head of the SGC had said that the decision should not be published on the Connecticut judicial website and should not be given to any judges.”

Judge Barbara Bellis, the Judicial “Queen of Mean,” who suspends and files grievances against attorneys at the drop of her witch hat, suspended Norm Pattis, which was eventually overturned. Norm posted: “The judge is stunned by my misconduct. Me, I am stunned the state trusts her with a robe and a gavel. Folks are afraid of this judge, and not for good reason. Why would the judge do this? I think Emerson teaches why: ‘When you strike at a king, you must kill him.’ The same, apparently, applied to queens… we believe this judge butchered with her rulings. She got her revenge.” On March 18, 2026, United States District Judge Stefan R. Underhill declined to enter a reciprocal order of disbarment against African American civil rights attorney Ms. Smalls Miller, notwithstanding a disbarment ordered by Judge Barbara Bellis. Judge Underhill observed: “the state court’s disbarment of Miller seems more punitive than protective of the public.”

Workers Compensation Commissioner Carolyn M. Colangelo was listed as a potential witness in Trotta’s grievance proceedings. Carolyn never ended up testifying in the case, and its not clear what her relationship was with Trotta. Carolyn Colangelo is married to former Chief State’s Atty Richard Colangelo, who resigned in disgrace for his involvement with Lamont’s top budget guy Kosta Diamantes, where Colangelo hired Kosta’s daughter in exchange for Kosta getting raises for the State’s Attorneys office back in 2019-2020. Carolyn was appointed Workers Compensation Commissioner in 2019 and earns $200K a year in a very cushy stress free job. Richard Colangelo is listed as a current employee of the State of Connecticut as a lecturer at a community college, earning $25K a year. How did that happen? Colangelo was never subject to disbarment or suspension of his law license, nor was he ever criminally investigated for his involvement with Kosta.

After Silverstein got suspended many people wrote angry comments on the New Haven Independent website, such as the following: “Is this in the interest of Justice? Atty. Silverstein is the only attorney who represents individuals from marginalized communities. The only office where poor black and brown citizens can go and know they will have legal representation. This is a huge loss to the community. We don’t have people that will take $100.00 and put you on a payment plan, or who will take your child to the store for a snack. An attorney who will have a conversation with his clients telling them to get it together; $250.00 is a small thing for the service he provides to the community. Not to mention he charges pennies on the dollar. He is the most affordable attorney in the community who is competent. Why do we have to be punished over $250.00?” I’m sure there were more hostile comments laced with profanities that Paul Bass censored out.

Why would Judge Fischer disbar an attorney who has been representing the most dangerous drug dealers and violent gang members in New Haven for decades, especially in light of the recent increase in threats against judges throughout the country? “Stooo-NOD” as they say in “Staven.” (Stupid as they say in East Haven). Was Judge Fischer trying to endear himself to the “law enforcement community?” Or does Fischer have something personal against Silverstein, who has been practicing before Fischer for decades? What did Silverstein, a former Navy Seal, say to Fischer to set him off? What is even more shocking is that Judge Fischer’s underlings in the Statewide Grievance Committee did not recommend a suspension, and only recommended that Silverstein be publicly reprimanded.

Why did white male attorney Guy McDonough, who got busted for DUI no less than three times get back into the Bar (no pun intended) no problem? Why did ambulance chaser Attorney Louis Rubano get back into the Bar no problem, by Judge Brian Fischer, after he defrauded the State of Connecticut and Medicaid (DAS) of some $263,000 over a twenty year period. Why was no criminal referral made for Mr. Rubano by Judge Fischer? Was it because Rubano worked for Lynch Traub Keefe & Errante at the time? Or was it because Rubano got letters of support from three retired Judges who worked at big law firms? In Connecticut the old adage, “its not what you know, its who you know” is the preamble to the the newest version of Connecticut’s Constitution, drafted in the secret headquarters of CT Judiciary’s power structure, manned by Hon’s Alexander, Carroll & Bozzuto, located in Waterbury of all places, the birthplace of twice incarcerated corrupt Governor John Rowland, as well as corrupt mayor Joseph J. Santopietro and corrupt mayor / pedophile Philip A. Giordano.

The Connecticut Judiciary has issued a “de facto” disbarment, going on for ten years, of Corey Brinson, a Black member of the National Guard, and a pardon advocate and inmate advocate who got an LLM and MBA after he got released from prison. Risking your life to defend the Constitution means nothing to the CT Judiciary. Corey Brinson and Richard Silverstein both served this country with honor, yet their mistakes have cost them their Bar licenses, while the bankrupt blond, DUI McDonough and the goniff Rubano are showered with sympathy, compassion, and hugs and kisses by the Witches of Waterbury.

FULL DISCLOSURE & DISCLAIMER: The term “bankrupt blond” is not to be taken literally. I searched the bankruptcy court records and could not find anywhere in the files that Ms. Trotta ever filed for bankruptcy, although it may be something she should consider based on the debts she appears to have amassed. I also do not mean to imply that Ms. Trotta is “morally bankrupt” as that term is pejoratively used. I went to law school with Ms. Trotta and even attended some law school parties that she organized. In my experience, albeit many years ago, I never observed her to be “morally bankrupt” although she probably considers me to be “morally bankrupt” which I don’t hold against her, as the majority of the members of the CT Bar hold that opinion of me. I am proud to hold such a distinguished position in the legal community. I wish Ms. Trotta the best, and invite her to be interviewed by Mr. Noodles, my alter ego, anytime. I also extend such an invitation to any other lawyers, judges or misfits that I have mentioned in this blog. I also would like to clarify that the State of Connecticut has not drafted a new version of the Constitution. If you were confused by this you obviously are too stupid to read this blog, and I will have to refer to you as a dumb Gentile, a “goyisha kop” or a “Shmucko McGuinness” a phrase my grandfather Hershel coined to describe dumb goyim.