Alaska judge steps down after keeping courtroom waiting as he watched TV. Then his name surfaces in sex-trafficking probes

NewsWorldAmericasAlaska judge steps down after keeping courtroom waiting as he watched TV. Then his name surfaces in sex-trafficking probesRomano DiBenedetto allegedly used Facebook to communicate with ‘apparent female sex workers’Bruce Golding Monday 04 May 2026 13:29 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2969262","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alaska-judge-sex-trafficking-investigation-b2969262.html","title":"Ex-Alaska judge’s name surfaces in sex-trafficking probes"}}CloseThe Northern Lights put on a stunning show in the sky over AlaskaThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Evening_Newsletter","regTitle":"Evening Headlines","subscriptionGroup":"us_evening_headlines","subscriptionGroupId":"4326e634-422a-4447-8e1e-604a937cd3b5","type":"daily_news","pathPrefix":["/us","/news/world/americas","/news/world/americas/crime"],"title":"The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday","mobileTitle":"Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/usEveningHeadlines1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receiveEveningHeadlinesUSNews","regSourceSection":"Americas","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false} A now-former Alask...