Scott DiClaudio, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, is facing a formal misconduct complaint after allegedly trying to sway another judge’s decision in a criminal case involving a close associate of Meek Mill.
DiClaudio, elected in 2015, typically oversees post-conviction cases, including those involving inmates serving life sentences.
According to The Inquirer, Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board filed charges Tuesday (September 10), accusing DiClaudio of attempting to interfere in the sentencing of Dwayne Jones, a friend of the Hip-Hop artist.
The incident reportedly took place on June 12, when Judge Zachary Shaffer and his law clerk stopped by DiClaudio’s chambers to buy T-shirts from Shay’s Steaks, a cheesesteak business owned by DiClaudio’s wife.
After the transaction, DiClaudio asked the clerk to step out. According to the complaint, DiClaudio then handed Shaffer a piece of paper with Jones’ name and courtroom number written on it.
He allegedly said, “I’ve heard you might do the right thing anyway,” before tearing up the note and discarding it.
Jones was awaiting sentencing on gun charges tied to a deadly shooting. Shaffer later recused himself and alerted court administrators about the encounter.
The board’s filing also highlighted DiClaudio’s ties to Meek Mill, noting he “is also acquainted, both socially and professionally,” with the rapper.
Meek Mill has long been entangled with the Philadelphia court system, most notably under Judge Genece Brinkley, who kept him on probation for over a decade after a 2007 arrest.
In 2017, Brinkley sentenced Mill to two to four years in prison for probation violations, including popping a wheelie on a dirt bike. The sentence drew national attention and fueled the “Free Meek” movement.
His conviction was ultimately overturned in 2019.
This is not the first time DiClaudio has come under scrutiny.
In 2020, he was suspended for two weeks for failing to disclose debts and ignoring court orders to pay overdue bills to a fitness club. In April 2025, he was accused of using his judicial position to promote his wife’s cheesesteak business.
That matter remains unresolved.
The Judicial Conduct Board stated DiClaudio “engaged in conduct that was so extreme that it brought the judicial office itself into disrepute.”
The Court of Judicial Discipline will determine whether DiClaudio should be suspended without pay. A decision is expected within weeks.