Former Alaska Judge Romano DiBenedetto Named in Complaint Alleging Contact with Sex Workers

On Monday, April 27, 2026, KNOM reported that former Superior Court Judge Romano DiBenedetto is facing new judicial misconduct charges following allegations that he misrepresented his knowledge of online connections with apparent sex workers. The Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct (ACJC) filed the complaint after DiBenedetto had already submitted a letter of retirement, which became effective on April 1.

DiBenedetto, who served in Alaska’s Second Judicial District based in Nome, was previously under misconduct investigation, which led ACJC to recommend a public reprimand earlier in the year. The earlier case involved delayed court proceedings, scheduling disruptions, and imitations of Alaska Native accents.

The most recent charges stem from a 2023 complaint regarding DiBenedetto’s personal Facebook account. According to the charges filed by the commission, his Facebook activity implied public “friendships with apparent female sex workers,” easily viewable to the public. When questioned in 2023, DiBenedetto claimed surprise about the Facebook connections and denied knowing how they occurred, agreeing to remove the “problematic” posts.

However, the new complaint alleges that DiBenedetto misrepresented his knowledge of the posts’ appearance on his Facebook page, intending to affect the Commission’s actions. The commission stated that it had closed the earlier complaint file based on false statements and misrepresentations.

Marla Greenstein, ACJC’s executive director, was contacted on Feb. 10 by the director of the Alaska Department of Law’s Criminal Division. The director shared information from a Department of Public Safety analyst who recognized DiBenedetto’s name in two closed criminal investigations into sex trafficking. One investigation occurred in 2021, and the other in 2023. DiBenedetto’s phone number appeared in electronic data collected during both investigations, with each call lasting about 20 seconds to different victims of sex trafficking.

The commission has not accused DiBenedetto of committing a crime but alleges his conduct violated the Alaska Code of Judicial Conduct. The complaint, signed by ACJC chairperson Amy Mead, states that Judge DiBenedetto intentionally deceived the Commission by associating with individuals who appeared to be sex workers on his Facebook page and misrepresenting his knowledge and intent to associate with them. DiBenedetto has 20 days to respond to the complaint under commission rules.

DiBenedetto was initially appointed in 2017 and retained by voters in 2020. His resignation creates a vacancy in the Second Judicial District, serving Nome and a large part of Western and Northwest Alaska. The Alaska Court System plans to use visiting and pro tempore judges to serve Nome until the position is filled.