ALAN APTE: Indictment of Judge Stuns his Colleagues

When Alan Apte became an Orange-Osceola Circuit judge in 2002, he said the ideal candidate had to be beyond reproach.

" A judge," he wrote, "is the conscience of the whole community."

Now Apte, 37, faces charges that he paid someone to collect ballots, an accusation that has gotten him booted off his cases and could ultimately land him in jail.

Those who know the former prosecutor find the claims hard to believe.

" I am shocked at the allegation," said Osceola County Chairman Paul Owen. "It doesn't seem like he'd do anything intentionally illegal to win an election."

Owen served with Apte on the board of the Boys & Girls Club. There, Owen said, Apte helped with fund-raisers and seemed driven more by a need to help than by a need to show his face.

" He is not a political animal," said Owen. "He has more of a servant attitude."

Apte is a former assistant state attorney who ran twice for judge before being elected.

A graduate of the University of Miami and Nova University Law School, he spent more than $300,000 of his own money campaigning for his seat.

Friends and associates describe him as an aggressive, committed prosecutor and a fair judge.

" He genuinely seeks feedback about the job he's doing," said Mark Nejame, a prominent Orlando lawyer and Apte friend.

Apte has been hearing juvenile cases for more than a year.

Friday, Chief Judge Belvin Perry removed Apte from the cases he was overseeing. Perry does not have the power to formally suspend judges.

Apte's attorney, meanwhile, said the charges against his client were baseless.

" Judge Apte," said Kirk Kirkconnell, "has done nothing legally or morally wrong."

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