Sep 24
2025
Wojtaszek’s wife, a judge, berates OTB employee
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Niagara County Judge Caroline Wojtaszek. Photo courtesy of The Niagara-Gazette.
Niagara County Judge Caroline Wojtaszek has been accused of “verbally accosting” an employee of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. who was critical of her husband’s tenure when he was head of the agency.
The employee, who spoke to Investigative Post on the condition she not be named, was one of four women who wrote a letter to the OTB board saying Henry Wojtaszek’s time as president and CEO was “filled with lawsuits, negative press, nasty and vindictive leaders.”
The four women who signed the letter — all longtime employees in management positions — said they were troubled by the prospect of Wojtaszek joining OTB’s board of directors and said they preferred working under the new president and CEO, former Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
The incident occurred the evening of Sept. 6 when Henry and Caroline Wojtaszek attended an event at Batavia Downs. The employee said Caroline Wojtaszek stuck a finger in her face and “verbally accosted” her, calling her “every name in the book,” saying she was “despicable” and telling her that the letter she signed wouldn’t stop her husband from joining the board of directors.
“She said, ‘There is no way you’re going to stop Henry from being on that board.’”
The woman added: “I was just horrified because there were people standing around us. It just was horrible, and I immediately … reported it to my upper management.”
The letter sent by the four management employees to the OTB Board of Directors.
Caroline Wojtaszek’s conduct, as described by the employee, doesn’t appear consistent with rules governing the conduct of judges in New York state.
“A judge shall conduct all of the judge’s extra-judicial activities so that they do not … detract from the dignity of judicial office,” the state’s judicial conduct code states.
In a statement, Robert Tembeckjian, the administrator and counsel of the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, said he couldn’t comment specifically on Wojtaszek, but said his agency discourages judges from displaying “intemperate behavior in or out of court.” He said his agency both confidentially and publicly disciplines judges for their conduct.
“The Rules Governing Judicial Conduct require judges to be patient, dignified and courteous toward those with whom they deal in an official capacity, and to act at all times — on or off the bench — in a manner that promotes respect and public confidence for and in the judiciary,” Tembeckjian said.
He pointed to the commission’s decisions, several of which reprimand judges for “off the bench” behavior. One such reprimand was of Erie County Supreme Court Judge Mark Grisanti, who in 2020 was caught on police bodycam video berating an officer.
Both Caroline and Henry Wojtaszek refused to comment.
“I’m not giving any discussion about that,” Caroline Wojtaszek said when reached by phone. “There is no comment from me to the Investigative Post.”
Wojtaszek was elected Niagara County district attorney in 2016 and Niagara County judge in 2020. She holds a law degree from the University at Buffalo and began her career as a law clerk and later assistant district attorney.
Donate to support our nonprofit newsroomThe incident occurred the evening of the New York Sire Stakes “Night of Champions.” The harness races are considered prestigious and usually held in Yonkers. This year’s races carried a $2.4 million purse.
In a statement, OTB spokesperson Michael DeGeorge said the incident is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation and declined to comment further.
Immediately following the incident, the woman told several people present at the event what occurred, two of whom spoke to Investigative Post.
“She used some pretty nasty language. I’ll call it street language,” said one of the people the woman told of the incident.
The woman who said she was berated by Caroline Wojtaszek was visibly shaken, sources said, and left the event early.
“She was shaken to the core,” a second source said. “It rattled her.”
Two members of the board of directors told Investigative Post they were later informed of the incident. Among them was Chairman Dennis Bassett, who declined to comment. He said the incident was “an operational issue” and “not a board issue.”
News of the confrontation comes as Henry Wojtaszek returns to the agency he once led. The Niagara County Legislature appointed him the county’s representative on the OTB board Sept. 17.
Last December, he walked away from OTB with a nearly $300,000 buyout package and lifetime health insurance after a 14-year career. In August he made it known that he planned to return as a member of the board of directors. Niagara County’s previous representative on the board, Elliott Winter, resigned his post in July, citing personal reasons.
Wojtaszek’s return has sparked resistance from the union that represents OTB employees, two Buffalo state lawmakers and the four women in management positions.
Antonella Rotilio, a union representative for OTB employees, wrote to board members and Western New York lawmakers, warning that Wojtaszek’s tenure was marred by “one controversy after another.”
“As the representative of hundreds of employees, I must emphasize how damaging it would be to bring Mr. Wojtaszek back into leadership,” Rotilio wrote. “It raises fundamental questions of accountability, priorities, and respect, not just for the workforce, but for the public you represent.”
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera wrote to the state Gaming Commission that the agency should withhold a gaming license from Wojtaszek, preventing him from becoming a member of the board.
“His return to the Board of Directors would not only disregard the lived experiences of those harmed under his leadership but would also undermine public confidence in the Gaming Commission’s oversight of one of our region’s most visible public benefit corporations,” that letter states. “Such an appointment risks signaling that misconduct, abuse, and mismanagement carry no real consequences in New York State.”
