Shraman Mitra
While Frieda Hanimov was looking forward to divorcing her ex-husband, Yuri Hanimov, she was shocked when the police arrested her for allegedly abusing their eldest son, Yaniv. Moreover, once she turned up for family court, she was surprised at how the judge treated her as a criminal and refused to rule in her favor without any reason whatsoever. ‘Mother Undercover: Mom vs. Corruption’ chronicles Frieda’s strange experience and how she teamed up with the New York District Attorney’s office to fight corruption in the legal system.
Who is Frieda Hanimov?
Frieda Hanimov is a Russian-Jewish immigrant on the verge of divorcing her ex-husband Yuri Hanimov in 2002. Even though she looked forward to a better future, she had to go through a bitter custody battle over the couple’s three children. Still, with an excellent lawyer and her children’s trust, Frieda was determined to keep her family together. Thus, one can only imagine the shock she experienced when the police arrived at her doorstep before arresting her for allegedly abusing her eldest son, Yaniv.
Thankfully, Frieda got out on bail, but after reaching the court, she was surprised to learn that Yuri was the one who had falsely accused her of abuse. On top of it, her case was handled by Judge Gerald Garson, who treated her like a criminal and gave her estranged husband, complete custody of Yaniv. Frieda was prohibited from contacting her son, and doing so would lead to severe legal action. Unwilling to give up to quickly, she appealed her case, but Judge Garson snubbed her once again. In fact, Frieda soon realized that the judge wasn’t taking any of her arguments seriously and was hell-bent on ruling in favor of her ex-husband.
That was when Frieda began asking around the courthouse and soon came in contact with Nissim Elmann, an electrical goods dealer, who won custody of his kids under Judge Garson. He mentioned that he had to pay quite a lot of money to the judge to make him rule in his favor and revealed that Yuri must have done the same. Although Frieda could have easily stepped into his trap as an anxious mother, she refused and took the case to the New York District Attorney’s office instead.
The mother of three even agreed to wear a wire when talking with Nissim and convinced him to let her pay the judge off. With time, he introduced her to Paul Siminovsky, an attorney who shared an excellent relationship with Judge Garson and facilitated the bribes. The DA’s office learned that he would find clients willing to bribe the judge, and the latter would tell him exactly what arguments to make so that he could rule in his favor.
Such a development allowed the DA’s office to get a warrant for a hidden camera in Judge Garson’s chambers, which helped them gather incriminating evidence on Paul. Later, they even apprehended and got him to turn on the judge by offering him a bribe on camera. Hence, when Garson accepted the bribe, the DA could swoop in and arrest him for misconduct and corruption.
Frieda Hanimov is Leading a Happy Life Today
In 2007, Judge Gerald Garson was convicted of bribery in the third degree and two other minor charges. This netted him a 3 to 10-year prison sentence and got him permanently suspended from practicing law. Furthermore, the show mentioned that his arrest led to a complete overhaul of the New York Legislature System, and many high-ranking people were put behind bars for corruption.
Even though Frieda Hanimov’s determination brought about such a massive change, she was content with having her family together again. Shortly after Judge Garson’s arrest, she won custody of Yaniv and now resides in New York with five of her children. Besides, while we are glad to report that Frieda has married a second time and leads a happy life with her husband, she is also a proud grandmother, and we wish her the best for the years to come.
Read More: Leslie Wagner-Wilson: Where is the Mom Now?
