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Judge accused of giving clerk $26K in gifts for 'special friend' relationship seeks to keep his job

A California judge accused of giving his clerk a BMW in a bid to make her a “special friend” urged a judicial commission on Wednesday to allow him to keep his job.

The judge, 64-year-old Valeriano Saucedo of Tulare County, is accused of giving his clerk gifts worth $26,000, including the car, and sending her more than 400 text messages, the Recorder (sub. req.) reports. According to a July report (PDF) by a panel of special masters, he threatened to kill himself when the clerk tried to end the relationship.

The report said Saucedo had “a strong and unblemished record of service” before the alleged conduct that began in September 2013. The report concluded Saucedo’s version of events lacked credibility.

Saucedo told the Commission on Judicial Performance he acted inappropriately but he could still perform his judicial duties, according to the Recorder account. “My career is salvageable,” he said. “I am salvageable as a human being.”

Gary Schons, the lawyer presenting the case against Saucedo, said Saucedo’s plans to win his clerk’s friendship were “worthy of a Dickens novel” and he should be removed from office.