In both matters, one familiar name surfaces: Ron Castorina.
Cross Examining the Judge: Crooked NYS Justice Ronald Castorina, Jr.
The former Assemblyman and Staten Island GOP Party Leader turned Supreme Court judge—who benefited most from the fake social media caper—is set to appear as a witness. This time, Luthmann will be the one asking the questions, with a chance to finally cross-examine Castorina under oath.
One of Luthmann’s fake Facebook pages satirically mimicked attorney Janine Materna’s campaign during her 2016 Republican Assembly primary against Ronald Castorina, Jr.
Luthmann’s page highlighted Materna’s past ties to Democrats, posting a photo of her with Hillary Clinton and the slogan “we will make HERstory,” to imply she was a Democrat in disguise. Materna blamed the spoof page for her defeat.
Materna’s suspicions that Castorina had a hand in the digital smear were never proven at the time. Instead, special prosecutors targeted Luthmann alone.
Castorina, the clear beneficiary of the fakery, went on to win the election and was later elevated to the New York Supreme Court bench.
Once released from prison, Luthmann discovered the full depths of the treachery against him.
“I didn’t get to read any of the discovery in the Fake Facebook case until after I was out of prison. Ron’s deposition transcript cut deep,” Luthmann said. “Not only were they lies, but it was pure betrayal.”
Luthmann made a complaint to the NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct. He supplied the Facebook messages, the deposition transcripts, and reporting from this outlet.
The question that lingers is whether Castorina got there by covering up his own role in the fake Facebook scheme.
Cross Examining the Judge: Grand Jury Testimony vs. Facebook Messages – A Tale of Two Stories
Evidence suggests Castorina was not an unwitting bystander to Luthmann’s hoaxes, contrary to his sworn grand jury testimony. In August 2018, then-Assemblyman Castorina was the star witness before a grand jury convened by Special District Attorney Eric Nelson.
Castorina portrayed Luthmann as a political gadfly he barely knew – “a bad penny… who would show up uninvited” to events. He told jurors Luthmann was a “pot stirrer… looking to create problems,” whom he tried to avoid.
Castorina swore any contact was one-sided and “unwanted,” claiming Luthmann bombarded him with “lewd… and racially-biased” messages that he only “placated… to get this person away.” Crucially, Castorina insisted he “told [Luthmann] to stop” sending such content and “had nothing to do” with the fake Facebook page’s creation.
Castorina-Nelson Grand Jury Perjury Time for a Fake Janine Materna Page
However, extensive Facebook Messenger transcripts tell a starkly different story. In private chats spanning 2013 to 2017, Castorina appears not as a reluctant recipient of Luthmann’s antics, but as an encouraging friend and collaborator.
Castorina’s statements under oath to Special Prosecutor Eric Nelson were perjury. Both men knew it: the wannabe judge and DA Michael “Mike” McMahon’s hand-picked hatchet man.
For instance, when Materna entered the 2016 race, Castorina alerted Luthmann, who replied, “Time for a fake Janine Materna site.”
Rather than rebuke him, Castorina eagerly helped, responding, “I’m looking for [a Hillary photo]” to use against her.
It did not stop there.
In 2015, during the Staten Island District Attorney race, Castorina laughed along as Luthmann lampooned Democratic DA candidate Mike McMahon. Luthmann derisively dubbed McMahon “Smilin’ Jack” and posted an image of McMahon with the Grinch on a fake campaign page.
Castorina messaged back, “Lmfao – f**ing hysterical… It’s spot on. You’re the best, Rich.”
He even suggested further attack ideas, referring to McMahon’s team as “the Irish mafia” and enjoying a satirical org chart Luthmann made of McMahon’s allies.
At no point in these exchanges did Castorina tell Luthmann to stop. Instead, he cheered him on – “good for u,” Castorina wrote when Luthmann went after Democratic Party boss John Gulino. He praised Luthmann’s pranks, telling him, “You have no limits – and that’s what makes me fond of you my friend!!! Dinner and drinks soon!”
These friendly chats flatly contradict Castorina’s under-oath portrayal of Luthmann as an unwanted nuisance. Phone records bolster this: dozens of calls from Castorina to Luthmann during election season belie Castorina’s claim that he “never sought out” Luthmann. Had these communications been fully aired, they would have exposed Castorina’s testimony as false.
Yet, Special Richmond County District Attorney Eric Nelson presented only a selective snippet of the Messenger chats to the grand jury, omitting the damning context. This subornation of perjury enabled Castorina’s narrative of ignorance to go unchallenged.
The cover-up of Judge Castorina’s perjury is a bigger issue than the Facebook caper itself. Luthmann is gone from New York. Unless Mike McMahon brings him back, Luthmann won’t be gracing Forest Avenue eateries anytime soon.
Castorina sits on the bench and passes judgment on Staten Island businesses and families. And he’s a perjurer and a liar.
Cross Examining the Judge: Luthmann Confronts Castorina’s Contradictions
In this reconstruction, imagine Richard Luthmann (acting as his own counsel) finally getting to cross-examine Justice Ronald Castorina, forcing the now-judge to answer for his grand jury testimony versus his actual messages:
Luthmann: Judge Castorina, you testified under oath that you hardly knew me and wanted nothing to do with me, correct?
Castorina: I, uh, said you were essentially a person I tried to avoid, yes.
Luthmann: You also swore that you told me to stop sending political stuff – that you didn’t support my antics. Did you ever actually tell me to stop?
Castorina:(Quietly) I believe I did indicate my disapproval…
Luthmann: Let’s check. Here’s a Facebook Messenger exchange from 2015. I wrote “McMahon’s people must be going crazy by now.” You replied, “Totally nuts – good for u.” Is that you encouraging me?
Castorina: That was taken out of context…
Luthmann: Context? You called my fake page of Mike McMahon “f**ing hysterical”* and said “It’s spot on… You’re the best, Rich”. Then you added “I cracked up.” Were you “placating” me when you praised my work?
Castorina:(Flustered) I might have been humoring you, not endorsing…
Luthmann: Humoring, by offering to buy me dinner and drinks? In 2016, I suggested “a fake Materna site,” and you replied “I’m looking for [a photo]” to use. You actively helped. That’s not telling me to stop, is it?
Castorina: I— I don’t recall that specific message…
Luthmann: It’s your message. “I’m looking for one,” you wrote, hunting for a Hillary Clinton photo of my opponent. You even called Janine Materna “a vicious animal” and egged me on. Were those also attempts to “get rid of” me?
Castorina:(No response, sweating)
Luthmann: Your Honor, the evidence shows Mr. Castorina was not my unwitting victim. He was a willing co-conspirator who then lied under oath to save himself.
In this imagined drama under oath, Castorina’s credibility crumbles as his own words expose the deception. This interplay may soon become a reality.
Turning the Tables: Luthmann Grills DA McMahon on Motives
This reconstruction also envisions Luthmann cross-examining Richmond County DA Michael “Tax-Hike-Mike” McMahon, who positioned himself as a victim of Luthmann’s fake Facebook antics. McMahon is also the “black hand” behind the civil conspiracy case in the Manhattan Supreme Court.
McMahon’s animosity and conflict of interest take center stage:
Luthmann: Mr. McMahon, you claim I victimized you with a fake Facebook page. Isn’t it true I satirized you as “Smilin’ Jack” and compared you to the Grinch?
McMahon: Yes, and it was a malicious misrepresentation of me during my 2015 campaign for District Attorney.
Luthmann: You didn’t appreciate that parody, did you?
McMahon: It was not just parody. It was an attack intended to mislead voters. It was Election Interference. I absolutely took offense.
Luthmann: In fact, you were so offended that after you became DA, you made sure I was prosecuted for it, correct?
McMahon: I recused my office due to the conflict. An independent special prosecutor handled it.
Luthmann: The first special prosecutor, Tom Tormey, reviewed the matter and declined to prosecute on First Amendment grounds, right?
McMahon: (Grudgingly) That’s what I was told, yes. You’d have to ask him.
Luthmann: Then you got Judge Rooney to appoint a second special prosecutor – your friend Eric Nelson – who finally indicted me. Isn’t it true you orchestrated that after your wife got in trouble and lost her job as Staten Island Administrative Judge?
McMahon: I don’t know what you’re insinuating.
Luthmann: Let’s talk about your wife, Judge Judy McMahon. In 2018 I had evidence – recordings – of her fixing case assignments in Special Narcotics Part N to boost your conviction stats. She was demoted for that and lost $50,000 in yearly salary, isn’t that true?
McMahon: That’s unrelated to your case.
Luthmann: Unrelated? After those tapes surfaced, you chose not to prosecute Judge McMahon, your own wife, for alleged judicial misconduct. Instead, you turned your sights on me – a convenient distraction, perhaps? You knew my Facebook posts embarrassed you, so you pressed this novel criminal case to settle the score.
McMahon: I pursued justice. You broke the law by impersonating public figures. It wasn’t personal.
Luthmann: Not personal? You had every motive: I exposed your patronage tricks and lampooned you. I showed you had dead people sign your ballot access petitons for DA in 2015. I cost your wife roughly $50,000 a year in pay. You wanted payback. You even let the statute of limitations lapse on Castorina’s role so he couldn’t be charged, focusing everything on me. This was political retribution dressed up as law enforcement, wasn’t it?
McMahon: (Raises voice) That’s absurd. You pled guilty because you knew you’d be convicted.
Luthmann: I pled under duress, facing trumped-up charges, a rigged deck, and sitting in a federal prison the whole time. There was no proper arrest or fingerprint cards. If I was had confronted Castorina’s perjury sooner, maybe the truth would have come out in time. Maybe the grand jury would have seen you and Castorina were behind the “phony Facebook” all along.
In this imagined exchange, Luthmann lays bare McMahon’s potential vendetta, underscoring the conflict at the heart of the cases. It also shows the driving force behind McMahon’s latest moves against Luthmann.
Cross Examining the Judge: Unraveling the Aftermath – Where Are They Now?
Luthmann is now a journalist in Florida. He says he is a victim of lawfare and weaponized justice and seeks vindication.
The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, led by Administrator Robert Tembeckjian, has deemed the Castorina perjury claims “unsubstantiated” since Castorina’s false statements occurred before he became a judge.
Meanwhile, Special Prosecutor Eric Nelson’s actions have also come under review. Revelations that he consulted felon Perry Reich, a disbarred lawyer, on how to sidestep First Amendment issues – and possibly misled the court about it – raise questions about prosecutorial misconduct.
Cross Examining the Judge: Felon Perry Reich was “legal advisor” to Special Prosecutor Eric Nelson and Mike McMahon’s DA Office.
Nelson continues to practice law, but Luthmann has pressed for perjury charges against him as well, arguing Nelson effectively suborned Castorina’s false testimony.
And DA Michael McMahon? He remains the elected District Attorney of Staten Island, now in his third term. McMahon has never publicly acknowledged any personal vendetta in the Luthmann case, maintaining that the prosecution was warranted.
He faced no charges for the Part N case-fixing scandal involving Judge McMahon, who was quietly demoted. Critics note that McMahon never pursued Castorina for lying to the grand jury, even as he eagerly prosecuted Luthmann for a Facebook prank.
McMahon now claims he feared for his life after receiving a single email from Richard Luthmann’s Substack newsletter at his official DA office address. He filed a complaint with the NYPD’s 120th Precinct, citing criminal contempt in the first degree, alleging the email violated an order of protection and caused him alarm and fear for his life.
In that complaint, made as a private citizen, McMahon was clearly dishonest, claiming Luthmann was a “Stranger.”
Also, no threats or physical contact occurred. Critics and Luthmann now contend his fear claim is a retaliatory act meant to silence a longtime critic. Frank Report and ArtVoice have documented the possibility of perjury and abuse of power by McMahon.
NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau and federal investigators are reportedly examining whether McMahon lied on official NYPD forms to justify targeting Luthmann.
Luthmann NYPD Report 1
Luthmann NYPD Report 2
Luthmann NYPD Report 3
Damning audio from NYPD Warrant Squad Detective John Wilkinson bolsters the case.
NYPD Detective John Wilkinson will probably lose his gold shield.
It also reveals a troubling double standard: powerful figures evaded consequences while an inconvenient journalist-provocateur continues to be punished.
A felony ICARD for Luthmann still remains in the NYPD records, almost 45 days after Detective Wilkinson admitted on tape that the NYPD knew Luthmann was in Florida, not New York City. No exigent circumstances exist or continue to exist.
The NYPD report is riddled with falsehoods, including listing Luthmann’s address as the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lock-up in Brooklyn. To our knowledge, no felony arrest warrant triggering interstate extradition has been signed by any (McMahon-controlled) Staten Island judge.
Luthmann says he has suffered loss of a “substantial liberty interest” and is preparing federal court civil rights and Monell claims against the City of New York, the NYPD, and the officers involved. He also promises abuse of process claims against McMahon personally.
A Monell claim is a civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 that holds a municipality liable for constitutional violations caused by its official policies, practices, or customs.
Luthmann also says he’s provided “copious” materials to the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group.
US Pardon Attorney Ed Martin is the Chair of the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group
“The Commander in Chief is eager to clean up New York’s crooked justice system,” Luthmann said. “After November, it will all drop, I’m told.”
In the end, Luthmann’s battles are about more than his own freedom or reputation—they cut to the heart of how justice is wielded in Staten Island and beyond. If he succeeds in forcing Ron Castorina, Mike McMahon, and Eric Nelson onto the witness stand, the proceedings could expose not just personal grudges and political payback. Luthmann (and others) are looking at the systemic abuse of power that has long shielded insiders.
Whether through his Manhattan civil suit, the revived Fake Facebook case, or another mechanism, Luthmann may finally turn the tables. By using cross-examination as both sword and spotlight to reveal truths others have worked hard to bury, it may be hard for some on Staten Island to keep their trousers clean.
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