Salvatore Strazzullo, the famous attorney nicknamed the "Night-Life Lawyer" for his headline-grabbing client roster and personal legal troubles, was found dead in a car over the weekend.
The 52-year-old Brooklyn resident was facing multiple ongoing criminal cases for allegedly conning elderly clients out of millions of dollars.
Strazzullo was found dead in a car around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday in Brooklyn, a New York Deputy Commissioner Public Information spokesperson told Newsweek. There does not appear to be any criminality at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.
Strazzullo's car was parked in front of his parents' home at the time of his death, according to the New York Post.
Strazzullo earned his notorious reputation in 2007 while defending Milana Dravnel, an exotic dancer who sued Oscar De La Hoya for $100 million. After photos of the boxing legend in women's lingerie surfaced, Dravnel sold them to a West Coast photo agency for $70,000.
De La Hoya's lawyers claimed the photos were doctored, and by June 2008, Dravnel quietly dropped the charges after signing a confidentiality agreement.
In 2011, Strazzullo defended rapper Foxy Brown after the neighbor she was feuding with claimed Brown pulled down her underwear and mooned her. The case was dismissed after the alleged victim refused to testify in court. Strazzullo famously told the media after the dismissal that he was prepared to use the "underwear defense" had the case gone to trial, saying that Brown was not wearing underwear on the day of the alleged incident.
Personal Issues With The Law
Strazzullo also had his fair share of personal issues with the law. In 2011, his former employee Desiree DeMartino sued him for sexual harassment. Her filing claimed Strazzullo had once trapped her in a conference room with her 1-year-old son outside while he pleasured himself for more than 10 minutes, The New York Post reports. DeMartino reportedly claimed her former boss also forcibly kissed her and put his hands down her blouse.
At the time of his death, Strazzullo was also facing theft and fraud charges after he allegedly ripped off elderly clients to fund his lavish car and apartment purchases.
In April, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez alleged Strazzullo was the mastermind of a Ponzi scheme in which he used one client's funds to pay off another while racking up bills at upscale restaurants and hotels.
Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
