B'KLYN JUDGE PROBED. ALLEGEDLY GAVE CAMPAIGN BUCKS TO POLS

B'KLYN JUDGE PROBED. ALLEGEDLY GAVE CAMPAIGN BUCKS TO POLS
BY NANCIE L. KATZ DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, March 22th 2006, 7:20AM

ANOTHER BROOKLYN judge may be in trouble.

Surrogate's Court Judge Frank Seddio is under investigation for allegedly violating rules barring judges from giving campaign money to political candidates or charities, the Daily News has learned.

The state's Commission on Judicial Conduct is probing allegations, first reported on The News' editorial page, that the former state assemblyman gave more than half of $55,090 in unspent campaign money to party pals and to a political club whose backing he needed to get on the bench.

He gave the rest to religious groups, a volunteer ambulance corps, a youth anti-drug group and other organizations in his home base of Canarsie.

Under the state rules, Seddio was supposed to return all funds to the donors to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Seddio, a Democrat, made it to the bench after Brooklyn received a second Surrogate's Court judgeship as part of a deal between Gov. Pataki and the Legislature.

He joins Margarita Lopez Torres on the Surrogate's Court bench.

She succeeded Michael Feinberg, who was booted by the state's highest court after an exposé by The News revealed he routinely awarded excessive fees to a pal he appointed.

Seddio could face public censure if found guilty of the ethical infractions.

He did not return calls yesterday.