The sting resulted in the arrest of State Supreme Court Justice Gerald P. Garson, 72, on corruption charges. Prosecutors said it was the first time video surveillance was used against a state judge in his own chambers.

"We had probable cause to believe criminal activity would be taking place in that area," Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said. As for Garson, Hynes said, "His career is in shambles."

Prosecutors also announced a special grand jury has been convened to investigate possible corruption in the judge-selection process. News reports said Garson -- after confronted with the surveillance tape -- told investigators that judgeships could be "bought and sold" in Brooklyn.

The judge was arraigned Thursday on a charges of official misconduct along with five co-defendants, including a lawyer and court employees. Their lawyers said they were innocent.

Garson -- who was photographed smoking a cigar when he surrendered Wednesday night -- "completely denies the allegations," said his attorney, Stanford Bandelli.

If convicted, Garson faces up to four years in prison. He was released on $15,000 bail.

Court officials said they are still trying to determine how many cases may have been tainted. They said they are reviewing Garson's past cases for signs of wrongdoing.

The investigation was launched in October after an unidentified woman complained to authorities that a con man was roaming the courthouse, soliciting bribes to fix matrimonial cases.

Authorities allege that in exchange for bribes of up to $10,000, the con man, the accused attorney and court personnel would scheme to bypass a random assignment policy and route cases to Garson.

After another judge authorized the use of video eavesdropping, investigators recorded the attorney meeting Garson in his chambers and plying him with a box of cigars and $1,000, a criminal complaint said. The lawyer also was overheard in intercepted conversations bragging that he had bought the judge dinner at Brooklyn restaurants and loaned him money in exchange for favors, it added.

The gifts were given as a reward for "ex parte advice" about cases the lawyer was trying before Garson, "including advice as to the merits of the case, and questions to ask witnesses," the complaint said.

The case is the second prosecution of a Brooklyn judge in recent months for Hynes' office.

Last October, former judge Victor Barron was led out of a Brooklyn courtroom in handcuffs after being sentenced to three to nine years in prison for soliciting a bribe from a lawyer in a personal injury case.