Benjamin Brafman (born July 21, 1948) is an American criminal defense attorney, the founder of the Manhattan-based firm Brafman & Associates, P.C.. Brafman is known for representing many high-profile defendants, including celebrities, accused Mafia members, and political figures.
Video Benjamin Brafman
Early life and education
Brafman grew up in Brooklyn and Belle Harbor, Queens, and was a son of Holocaust survivors. He went to a yeshiva high school and took night classes at Brooklyn College, graduating with a B.A., majoring in anthropology.
Brafman received his J.D. with distinction from Ohio Northern University College of Law. He also has an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. In May 2014 Brafman was awarded an honorary degree by Ohio Northern University College of Law.
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Career
After graduating from law school, admitted to the New York State Bar in 1975, Brafman worked for a criminal defense firm for two years, then became an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. In 1980, Brafman started his own law firm in Manhattan.
Brafman has represented a number of notable figures, including Jacob Arabo, James Patino (who was cleared of all charges in the death of Yusef Hawkins), Peter Gatien, Plaxico Burress, Michael Jackson, Carl Kruger, Charles Kushner, Marvell Scott, Sean Combs ("Puff Daddy"), Mafia boss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, online gambling figure Jay Cohen, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Rabbi Menachem Youlus, political pundit Dinesh D'Souza, high-profile attorney Sanford Rubenstein, Martin Shkreli, and Harvey Weinstein
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs trial
Brafman's profile rose following his winning the acquittal of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, who was acquitted from his 1999 illegal weapons and bribery charges. The criminal charges stemmed from a nightclub brawl, while accompanied by then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and Combs's usual entourage, and witnessed by over 100 other people. Despite the numerous prosecution witnesses to Combs's culpability, and Combs's fame, Brafman produced a 'not guilty' verdict for all charges.
Plaxico Burress shooting
On November 30, 2008, Brafman was hired to represent NFL star Plaxico Burress who on August 3, 2009 was indicted on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment. Burress pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and was sentenced to two years in prison.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
In 2011, Brafman represented former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a sexual assault case involving a member of the housekeeping staff of an upscale New York City hotel. Brafman and Strauss-Kahn's other lawyer, William W. Taylor, III, of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, gained first a recommendation that charges be dropped from New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and then charges dropped by New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus.
Brafman discussed his defense of Strauss-Kahn on Charlie Rose in February, 2012.
Divorce torture trial
In 2014 and 2015, Brafman represented Martin Wolmark, a co-conspirator of Mendel Epstein, who had plotted to kidnap and torture Jewish husbands into granting their wives religious divorces. Wolmark pled guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Martin Shkreli
In early 2016, Martin Shkreli retained Brafman to defend him. In a 2017 jury trial, Shkreli was found guilty on two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Harvey Weinstein
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein hired Brafman in 2017, following rape allegations against him. Brafman represented Weinstein at his arraignment on May 25, 2018 in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of first-degree rape and third-degree rape in one case, and first-degree criminal sex act in another case. Brafman said in an interview: "Mr. Weinstein did not invent the casting couch in Hollywood. Bad behavior is not on trial in this case."
Personal life
Brafman's family fled from Europe to Cuba on their way to the United States just before World War II. Brafman is a practicing Orthodox Jew.
His wife Lynda is a librarian. The Brafmans lived in a "cramped Forest Hills apartment" early in their marriage and, by 1998, lived in an "enormous Long Island brick mansion." Brafman has lived in the Five Towns area of western Long Island since 1981.
The couple has two grown children, Jennifer and David, and a number of grandchildren. His daughter lives in the Five Towns close to Brafman and his son lives in Israel, where Brafman travels often.
Brafman's older brother Aaron was an Orthodox rabbi in Far Rockaway.
Brafman is a "self-described 'short Jewish guy,'" standing no taller than five feet, six inches tall.
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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