
Thomas E. Stringer spent more than three decades quietly building his legal career in Florida, working his way up from an assistant state attorney to appeals court judge in the Tampa Bay area. In 2007, he was inducted into his law school's hall of fame. Then last spring, the well-respected, married judge suddenly found his face splashed beside that of a troubled exotic dancer in a kimono...Newspaper columns were written. Jokes were made. Stringer's 35-year legal career was tarnished. "It is axiomatic that 'Judge' and 'Stripper' showing up in a headline is never a good thing, especially if you happen to be the 'Judge,'" then Tampa Tribune columnist Daniel Ruth wrote after the story broke...Stringer, who has said he had a friendship and business relationship with stripper Christy Yamanaka, declined to comment for this story...more...
From TampaBay.com:
A New York City stripper says a local appeals judge wanted to marry her. Christy Yamanaka says she had sex with 2nd District Court of Appeal Judge Thomas E. Stringer Sr. three times during their 15-year friendship... Yamanaka is a dancer at Scores East Side, an upscale strip club frequented by celebrities and athletes in New York City. Both she and Stringer say they met 15 years ago at what was then Malio's restaurant... He bought her a drink and told her she was beautiful, she said. He started coming to her home for long lunches and dinners, eating meals cooked by her live-in Japanese maid, she said. Out of respect, she called Stringer "Your Majesty." Yamanaka had lived in Japan for seven years and says the country revered judges almost like gods. He said he would leave his wife for her, Yamanaka claims, but she rebuffed his romantic advances...more...