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Gerald Shargel

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Gerald Shargel
Born
Gerald Lawrence Shargel

(1944-10-05)October 5, 1944
New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2022(2022-07-16) (aged 77)
New York City, U.S.
Education
Occupation(s)Trial attorney (retired 2018),[1] law professor
Known forLead attorney for multiple defendants, including Gambino crime family members John Gotti and Sammy Gravano
SpouseTerry Krapes Shargel[2]
Children2

Gerald "Jerry" Lawrence Shargel (October 5, 1944 – July 16, 2022) was an American defense attorney who was based in New York City and generally considered one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the country.

Early life and education

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Shargel was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Leo Shargel, a paint-and-wallpaper store proprietor, and Lillian Edenzon Shargel on October 5, 1944.[2][3] He attended Bound Brook High School and graduated in 1966 from Rutgers University, where his mother worked as one of its math department's secretaries, and in 1969 from Brooklyn Law School, joining the New York bar shortly thereafter.[2][4][5][6]

Career

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Shargel was widely regarded as one of the best criminal defense attorneys in New York.[7][8] A 1998 profile in The New York Times referred to him as "regarded on Centre Street as a brilliant tactician and a very good trial lawyer with a successful white-collar practice".[9] In receiving the Thurgood Marshall Award for Outstanding Criminal Law Practitioner by the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2006, he was referred to as "one of the most brilliant criminal defense attorneys in America… quite possibly the finest of his generation".[10]

In a 1991 federal case against the Gambino crime family, Shargel was initially slated to represent underboss Sammy Gravano. However, Judge I. Leo Glasser barred Shargel and Bruce Cutler from representing, respectively, Gravano and Gotti, agreeing with prosecutors' assertion that the lawyers were "in-house counsel" to the Gambinos. Prosecutors, including John Gleeson, contended that since Shargel and Cutler may have known about criminal activity, they were "part of the evidence" and liable to be called as witnesses.[11]

Shargel's other high-profile clients included Daniel Pelosi, who was charged with and later convicted of the second-degree murder of East Hampton millionaire Ted Ammon,[12] and Robert "Joe" Halderman in the matter of Halderman's extortion of television personality David Letterman.[13] Shargel represented Halderman from October 2009 to March 9, 2010, when Halderman entered a plea-bargained guilty plea.[14]

Shargel was well known for his courtroom style and dramatic presentations, which may have helped some of his clients to be found not guilty. For example, in 2005, Murder Inc. record label owners Irv and Chris Gotti (who are no relation to his aforementioned client John) were acquitted on all charges, possibly partially due to the effect of his courtroom demeanor on the jury—as there were a number of lively exchanges between him and NYPD detective Anthony Castiglia during testimony.[15][16][17]

In 2012 Shargel defended hip hop mogul James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, CEO of Czar Entertainment, in a federal trial in Brooklyn, New York, presided over by Judge Gleeson.[18] Rosemond was convicted on all charges (including cocaine distribution, conspiracy, money laundering, firearms possession, and witness tampering),[18] and on October 25, 2013, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.[19][20]

Shargel also taught criminal law classes at his alma mater, Brooklyn Law School,[21] where he held the position of Practitioner-In-Residence, teaching courses on evidence, criminal procedure, and trial advocacy.[3][5] He was also a frequent writer and commentator on legal issues that arise during high-profile criminal cases, which generate sustained national and regional media focus.[22]

In 2018, he retired from active law practice, citing burnout.[1]

Personal life

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Shargel died from complications of Alzheimer's disease at his residence in Manhattan on July 16, 2022, at the age of 77.[2]

Shargel is survived by his two children, David and Johanna, and six grandchildren, Casey, Miles, Tatum, Theo, Eli, and James.

Notable clients

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Shargel Retires From the Law, Capping 49 Years of Trials". New York Law Journal.
  2. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (July 17, 2022). "Gerald Shargel, Criminal Defense Lawyer for the Mob, Dies at 77". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Gerald L. Shargel Lawyer Profile on". Martindale.com. October 5, 1944. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. ^ "Lawyer Gerald Shargel – New York Attorney". Avvo.com. May 21, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Biography". Brooklaw.edu. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  6. ^ "Gerald Lawrence Shargel". New York State Unified Court System. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  7. ^ "Uh-oh: Phonies Rule the day". New York: NY Daily News. July 24, 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  8. ^ "Faculty Member Laura Brevetti, Joel Cohen, Bruce Green, Gerald Shargel". Lawline.com. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  9. ^ Wadler, Joyce (February 5, 1998). "PUBLIC LIVES; Not Mob Lawyer. Just Lawyer. Uh, for Gotti. – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  10. ^ "Gerald Shargel Lawyer in New York, Attorney NY". Super Lawyers. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  11. ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (July 27, 1991). "Judge Disqualifies Gotti's Lawyer From Representing Him at Trial – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  12. ^ "Pelosi Found Guilty Of Murder". CBS News. February 11, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  13. ^ "Robert Halderman's Attorney Speaks Out on David Letterman Extortion Case – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. October 5, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  14. ^ Eligon, John; Stelter, Brian (March 9, 2010). "Six Months in Jail for Letterman Plot". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  15. ^ Feuer, Alan (November 22, 2005). "7,400 Bills Fit in Shoebox, a Detective Proves in Court". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  16. ^ [1] Archived May 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 21, 2005). "Irv Gotti Trial: 50 Cent Shooting To Be Admitted?". Blogs.villagevoice.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Maddux, Mitchel (June 5, 2012). "Hip-hop mogul 'Jimmy Henchman' guilty on all charges | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  19. ^ a b "James Rosemond, hip-hop's "Jimmy Henchman," gets life". Newsday.com. June 21, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  20. ^ a b "Hip Hop mogul Jimmy Rosemond gets life in prison for drug trafficking". New York: NY Daily News. October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  21. ^ a b c d e Lattman, Peter (June 9, 2013). "Criminal Defense Lawyer Closes Office to Join a Big Firm". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  22. ^ "Gerald "Jerry" Shargel '69, Top Criminal Defense Attorney and Law School's Practitioner-in-Residence, Dies at 77". Brooklyn Law School. July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "Amanda Bynes' bong-tossing case may be resolved in next Manhattan court appearance". New York: NY Daily News. September 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  24. ^ Oldenburg, Ann (July 9, 2013). "Amanda Bynes wears blue wig to court". Usatoday.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  25. ^ "Former Braniff President On Trial For Fraud". Apnewsarchive.com. September 18, 1995. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  26. ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (February 25, 1988). "7 Convicted of Racketeering, 1 Acquitted, in Westies Trial – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  27. ^ Raab, Selwyn (January 6, 1999). "Schedule May Force Top Lawyer Off Gotti Team – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  28. ^ "2 VIEWS OF GAS MOGUL IN SLAY RAP". New York: NY Daily News. July 10, 1997. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  29. ^ "FindLaw | Cases and Codes". Caselaw.lp.findlaw.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  30. ^ "USATODAY.com – Irving Lorenzo of Murder Inc. acquitted". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. December 2, 2005. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  31. ^ "'War On Hip Hop' Ja Rule Blasts Trial Against 'Gotti' Bros". New York: NY Daily News. November 17, 2005. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  32. ^ "McGriff, Lorenzo Link Debated At Trial". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  33. ^ Fleischer, Matt (February 15, 1999). "Mob Prosecutor Fired for Leaking to Press in John A. Gotti Trial | The New York Observer". Observer.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  34. ^ "John 'Junior' Gotti pleads guilty to racketeering, bribery, extortion on eve of trial". CJOnline.com. April 6, 1999. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  35. ^ Graham, Mark (September 4, 2013). "David Letterman's Alleged Extortioner's Lawyer Went on the Today Show and It Wasn't Pretty". Vulture. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  36. ^ "David Letterman Extortion Suspect Robert "Joe" Halderman to Seek Dismissal of Case – Crimesider". CBS News. November 10, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  37. ^ Graham, Mark (September 4, 2013). "Aspiring Screenwriter Robert 'Joe' Halderman Insists That He Just Wanted to Sell David Letterman His Screenplay". Vulture. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  38. ^ "Letterman extortion suspect's lawyer seeks dismissal". CNN.com. November 10, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  39. ^ Eaton, Phoebe (October 18, 2013). "Danny Pelosi's Biggest Problem". Nymag.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  40. ^ "Behind the Daniel Pelosi Murder Case – ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. December 15, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  41. ^ "A View From the Inside: New Documentary Looks at Fraudster Marc Dreier". Abajournal.com. April 1, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  42. ^ [2] Archived July 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  43. ^ Slater, Dan (December 11, 2008). "Dreier Doing Time Alone: "You Could Lose Your Mind in Three Weeks" – Law Blog – WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  44. ^ Scott Cohn (November 8, 2012). "Did Marc Dreier Get the Punishment He Deserved?". CNBC. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  45. ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (December 15, 1992). "Ex-Head of Chinatown Gang Is Guilty of Leading Drug Ring – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
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