New York City, NY -- The New York State court system's longtime spokesman was fired this week after an embarrassing butt-dial in which he admitted barely working his $172,000 job, the New York Post reported.

David Bookstaver, 59, was the brash-talking spokesman for the Office of Court Administration who often handled requests from media regarding court access, among other issues.

But he lost most of his responsibilities when a new chief judge, Janet DiFiore, took over in 2016. She brought in a new spokesman, Lucian Chalfen, to handle most of Bookstaver's duties.

But Bookstaver was kept on as "communications director" with a hefty salary and little work.

The Post reported Wednesday that they called Bookstaver for an expose on his cushy job. Bookstaver defended his work.

But Bookstaver later butt-dialed the reporter, unwittingly leaving a four-minute voicemail in which he admitted the story was true, the Post reported.

"I spoke to [the reporter] on the record for awhile. I said, 'I'm in a much less visible position; that doesn't mean I'm not doing anything,'" Bookstaver was heard saying in the voicemail, which recorded his conversation with someone else. "But, frankly, look, the bottom line: The story's true. I'm not doing anything. I barely show up to work and I've been caught."

Bookstaver had planned to retire in October.

The court system sent out a statement Thursday saying Bookstaver had been fired.

"New Yorkers look to their Court System for excellence and accountability, and we will always act to apply those standards to all of our employees all across New York state," the statement said.

Bookstaver, reached by The New York Times, was contrite after his firing, saying he "deeply regrets" how his career came to an end.