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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer Roy Black dies after illness at age 80
Roy Black, the prominent criminal defense attorney who helped secure Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal, has died at the age of 80, his family confirmed. Black passed away at his home in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday after battling an illness, his wife Lea Black told People magazine. 'Thank you for all your blessings,' the Real Housewives of Miami alum wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. 'We will be announcing details for a tribute and celebration in a few weeks.' Black first gained national attention in 1991 when he secured an acquittal for former President John F. Kennedy's nephew, William Kennedy Smith, in a high-profile rape trial – a watershed moment for criminal defense, as the proceedings were broadcast live on national television. The attorney went on to play a central role in Epstein's legal defense as the financier was investigated in 2006 for multiple sex crimes involving dozens of underage girls. Rather than face federal indictment, Black and Epstein's lawyers negotiated a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in 2007, which was finalized in 2008. Under the deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution with a minor and received a 13-month jail sentence and was registered as a sex offender. Black had represented a string of high-profile clients ranging from pop star Justin Bieber to race car driver Helio Castroneves. Most of the time, he was on the winning side, as noted by the Associated Press in their reporting. His clientele and courtroom success made him a regular on the Today Show and Larry King Live. Prominent attorneys and Black's former colleagues have praised him for his exceptional legal skill and courtroom expertise. 'Roy Black was the greatest criminal lawyer of our generation, perhaps in American history, achieving acquittals over a span of 50 years in some of the most challenging and notorious cases of all time,' partner of three decades at Black Srebnick, Howard Srebnick, told the Miami Herald. Srebnick's colleague David O. Markus said that Black was the 'GOAT' – greatest of all time – among Miami's criminal attorneys. 'This one really hurts,' he wrote on his Southern District of Florida blog. 'He was 80. And he really was the GOAT of criminal defense lawyers. There are so many of us that want to be Roy in the courtroom – commanding, persuasive, funny. ' Solve the daily Crossword
Associated Press
a day ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Trump's former lawyer Alina Habba faces uncertain future as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Alina Habba — who served as President Donald Trump's defense lawyer and a White House counselor and has become one of the most high-profile U.S. attorneys in the country — could see her 120-day interim term as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor expire Tuesday. Habba, 41, could stay on in the role if federal judges in New Jersey keep her on. Her tenure has included the high-profile prosecution of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, which was eventually dropped, and the ongoing assault case against Rep. LaMonica McIver. Both cases, against Democrats, stemmed from a visit to a privately operated immigration detention center in the state's largest city. Messages seeking comment were left with Habba's office and the Justice Department as well as the chief federal judge in the state, whose office said it had no information on Tuesday. Senatorial courtesy Trump, a Republican, nominated Habba for the position pending Senate confirmation, but the state's two Democratic U.S. senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim signaled their opposition to her appointment. Under a longstanding Senate practice known as senatorial courtesy, a nominee's appointment can stall out without backing from home state senators, a phenomenon facing a handful of other Trump picks for U.S. attorney. Booker and Kim had questioned whether Habba met the standard to serve as the state's top federal prosecutor and have accused her of bringing politically motivated prosecutions. Tenure as top prosecutor Among Habba's highest-profile prosecutions stemmed from a May visit by three Democratic members of Congress and Baraka to the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark. Baraka was arrested on a trespass charge stemming from his attempt to join a congressional visit of the facility. Baraka denied any wrongdoing, and Habba eventually dropped that charge. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa rebuked Habba's office after moving to dismiss the charges, writing that the move amounted to a 'worrisome misstep' and calling the arrest hasty. Baraka is suing Habba in her official capacity over what he says was a 'malicious prosecution.' Habba later brought assault charges against McIver, a freshman representative from the city who first was elected in a special election last year, over physical contact she made with law enforcement officials as Baraka was being arrested. The indictment of McIver was the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen the Trump administration take Democratic officials from New Jersey's largest city to court amid the president's ongoing immigration crackdown and Democrats' efforts to respond. The prosecution is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption. A nearly two-minute video clip released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver at the facility inside a chain-link fence just before Baraka's arrest on the other side of the barrier, where other people were protesting. McIver and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. Her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word 'Police.' Besides the prosecution of McIver, Habba had announced she launched an investigation into New Jersey's Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, and attorney general, Matt Platkin, over the state's directive barring local law enforcement from cooperating with federal agents conducting immigration enforcement. In social media posts, Habba has highlighted her office's prosecution of drug traffickers, including against 30 members of a fentanyl and crack cocaine ring in Newark. Habba's background A partner in a small New Jersey law firm near Trump's Bedminster golf course, Habba served as a senior adviser for Trump's political action committee, defended him in court in several civil lawsuits and acted as a spokesperson last year as he volleyed between courtrooms and the campaign trail. U.S. attorneys often have experience as prosecutors, including at the state or local level. Many, including the acting U.S. attorneys in Brooklyn and Manhattan, have worked in the offices they now lead. Habba has said she wanted to pursue the president's agenda of 'putting America first.' Habba was one of Trump's most visible defense attorneys, appearing on cable TV news as his 'legal spokesperson.' She represented Trump in 2024 in the defamation case involving E. Jean Carroll. But Habba has had limited federal court experience, practicing mainly in state-level courts. During the Carroll trial, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan chided Habba for botching procedure, misstating the law, asking about off-limits topics and objecting after he ruled.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Erika Jayne's ex Tom Girardi, 86, reports to prison to begin 7-year sentence amid dementia battle
Erika Jayne 's ex-husband Tom Girardi has officially begun serving his seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud. can confirm that the 86-year-old disbarred trial attorney, who was once one of the most powerful figures in California 's legal world, became inmate 43156-510 after surrendering Thursday to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. The attorney — whose Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star ex filed for divorce in 2020 after 21 years of marriage — was indicted in February 2023 for embezzling more than $15 million from his own clients at Girardi Keese. He pleaded not guilty to five counts of wire fraud but was convicted earlier this year. His legal team had tried to keep him out of prison, arguing that Girardi, who was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer's and dementia, should serve his sentence at a long-term care facility instead — but the request was denied. Now, it remains unclear how the prison system will handle Girardi's cognitive decline during his seven-year sentence. Determining the right facility for an inmate with mental or physical health issues can take weeks or even months, and officials declined to say where Girardi might ultimately be placed, per LA Times. Girardi turned himself in after his legal team argued that sending the disgraced lawyer to prison would be a 'de facto death sentence' for a man who no longer even remembers the crimes he's being punished for. 'For Tom Girardi, there can be no meaningful punishment,' Deputy Federal Public Defender Samuel Cross said at his sentencing hearing in June. But U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton wasn't swayed, citing expert evaluations that concluded Girardi still had the cognitive ability to function independently in day-to-day life. 'He currently retains his independence as to his activities of daily living,' she said, ruling that prison was the appropriate consequence. Girardi's mental health has been the subject of fierce debate since 2020, when his law empire collapsed amid accusations of financial misconduct. A Long Beach psychiatrist diagnosed him with Alzheimer's, prompting his brother to place him under a conservatorship — but prosecutors suspected Girardi was faking the extent of his decline. Even federal neuropsychologist Dr. Tracy O'Connor Pennuto, who evaluated Girardi during a six-week stint at Butner prison hospital, determined that while he wasn't malingering, he did suffer from 'moderately advanced dementia' with signs of Alzheimer's. Girardi turned himself in after his legal team argued that sending the disgraced lawyer to prison would be a 'de facto death sentence' for a man who no longer even remembers the crimes he's being punished for She testified that his long-term memory remained mostly intact, but his short-term recall was impaired. 'He will not improve,' Pennuto warned. 'He will continue to decline over time.' Girardi was accused of stealing settlement funds from numerous clients, including families of victims of the 2018 Lion Air crash, and using the money to bankroll his and Jayne's opulent lifestyle. While his crimes have left deep scars, Jayne has been largely cleared of any involvement and was dismissed from related lawsuits. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, has since moved on romantically and is now dating retired U.S. Army Special Ops agent John 'Shrek' McPhee — though her divorce from Girardi has yet to be finalized.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Erika Jayne's ex Tom Girardi, 86, reports to prison to begin 7-year sentence amid dementia battle
Erika Jayne 's ex-husband Tom Girardi has officially begun serving his seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud. The 86-year-old disbarred trial attorney, who was once one of the most powerful figures in California 's legal world, became inmate 43156-510 after surrendering Thursday to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, per Page Six. The attorney — whose Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star ex filed for divorce in 2020 after 21 years of marriage — was indicted in February 2023 for embezzling more than $15 million from his own clients at Girardi Keese. He pleaded not guilty to five counts of wire fraud but was convicted earlier this year. His legal team had tried to keep him out of prison, arguing that Girardi, who was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer's and dementia, should serve his sentence at a long-term care facility instead — but the request was denied. Now, it remains unclear how the prison system will handle Girardi's cognitive decline during his seven-year sentence. Determining the right facility for an inmate with mental or physical health issues can take weeks or even months, and officials declined to say where Girardi might ultimately be placed, per LA Times. Girardi turned himself in after his legal team argued that sending the disgraced lawyer to prison would be a 'de facto death sentence' for a man who no longer even remembers the crimes he's being punished for. 'For Tom Girardi, there can be no meaningful punishment,' Deputy Federal Public Defender Samuel Cross said at his sentencing hearing in June. But U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton wasn't swayed, citing expert evaluations that concluded Girardi still had the cognitive ability to function independently in day-to-day life. 'He currently retains his independence as to his activities of daily living,' she said, ruling that prison was the appropriate consequence. Girardi's mental health has been the subject of fierce debate since 2020, when his law empire collapsed amid accusations of financial misconduct. A Long Beach psychiatrist diagnosed him with Alzheimer's, prompting his brother to place him under a conservatorship — but prosecutors suspected Girardi was faking the extent of his decline. Even federal neuropsychologist Dr. Tracy O'Connor Pennuto, who evaluated Girardi during a six-week stint at Butner prison hospital, determined that while he wasn't malingering, he did suffer from 'moderately advanced dementia' with signs of Alzheimer's. Girardi turned himself in after his legal team argued that sending the disgraced lawyer to prison would be a 'de facto death sentence' for a man who no longer even remembers the crimes he's being punished for She testified that his long-term memory remained mostly intact, but his short-term recall was impaired. 'He will not improve,' Pennuto warned. 'He will continue to decline over time.' Girardi was accused of stealing settlement funds from numerous clients, including families of victims of the 2018 Lion Air crash, and using the money to bankroll his and Jayne's opulent lifestyle. While his crimes have left deep scars, Jayne has been largely cleared of any involvement and was dismissed from related lawsuits. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, has since moved on romantically and is now dating retired U.S. Army Special Ops agent John 'Shrek' McPhee — though her divorce from Girardi has yet to be finalized.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Gov. Kemp appoints Court of Appeals Judge Benjamin Land to the Georgia Supreme Court
The Nathan Deal Judicial Center, home of Georgia's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, is seen on May, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Kate Brumback, File) Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's governor on Thursday announced the appointment of a new justice to fill a vacant seat on the state's highest court. Gov. Brian Kemp said Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Benjamin Land will fill the spot on the Georgia Supreme Court left by former Chief Justice Michael Boggs, who stepped down at the end of March to return to private practice. Land has served on the state's intermediate appeals court since July 2022 and was previously a superior court judge in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. 'Judge Land has earned the respect of his peers and hardworking Georgians through his commitment to fairness and impartiality, his strong work ethic, and his integrity,' Kemp said in a news release. 'His extensive experience as a former litigator and judge will make him a valuable addition to the Supreme Court as he continues his service to the people of our state.' Before becoming a judge, Land was an attorney in private practice in Columbus for about 26 years who specialized in complex civil litigation. He has also served in numerous community organizations. A 'double dawg,' he earned both an undergraduate degree and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Supreme Court Chief Justice Nels Peterson welcomed Land. 'His background and experience, including years as a state appellate judge, trial court judge, and litigator, position him well to serve on the state's highest court,' Peterson said in a statement. 'My fellow Justices and I look forward to working with him.'
