Charles Kleinberg. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.Charles Kleinberg, a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, stood out for his dedication to the job and his memorable courtroom presence, former colleagues said this week.
But Kleinberg, who retired in 2018 and died May 22, at age 71, from complications related to COVID-19, will also be remembered for a sartorial quirk, said Daniel R. Alonso, a Buckley LLP partner and former chief of the EDNY’s criminal division.
“He’s the only assistant I remember from the Eastern District who wore, it looked like, exclusively short-sleeved shirts with his suits,” he said.
Kleinberg was also uncommonly well-educated, continuing his studies long past law school. After graduating first in his class from the New York University School of Law, he obtained advanced degrees in mathematics and philosophy from Yale and Columbia. In retirement, he was preparing for a second Ph.D. program, this time in physics.
Kevan Cleary, senior trial counsel in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said he saw the advantages of Kleinberg’s education when he cross-examined witnesses.
“He had all this training in philosophy and mathematics, so he had this very precise, step by step, almost scientific way of cross-examining a witness,” Cleary said. “Never raising his voice—you could hardly hear him, he spoke so softly. He was never strident, he was always measured in his delivery, and he was exactly precise in his questioning. He never needed to rephrase a question.”
Cleary described Kleinberg as one of the best lawyers he ever encountered on either side of a courtroom. Kleinberg’s single-minded focus on his cases meant he was uninterested in politics, in the office or outside, Cleary said.
Kleinberg, who joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1981 after stints at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and as an assistant attorney general for New York state, went on to work in both the civil and criminal divisions.
He tried more than 70 cases and argued more than 50 appeals, including the prosecutions of Michael Lohan, the father of actress Lindsay Lohan, and former St. John’s University Dean Cecilia Chang. He also won a racketeering conviction in a major union case involving Local 1 of the International Union of Elevator Constructors and obtained forfeiture of assets associated with the Gambino crime family.
“They say he tried over 70 cases,” Cleary said. “That doesn’t surprise me. If he had a case settle unexpectedly, he would come to me [saying] ‘Kevan, I got to get a trial! I’m all ready for trial! I need a trial!’ He was like a racehorse that was going to race but they canceled the race.”
U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue praised Kleinberg’s “remarkable body of work” in a statement.
“Charley’s trademark approach was prosecuting wrongdoers while simultaneously or subsequently suing the stuffing out of their corporate alter-egos,” Donoghue said. “He was truly one of a kind.”
Read more:
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Noach Dear Dies of Complications From Coronavirus
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice’s Death Linked to Coronavirus, First for New York Judiciary
"colleague" - Google News
June 04, 2020 at 05:43AM
https://ift.tt/2Ay2Jge
'One of a Kind': Brooklyn Prosecutors Remember Retired Colleague Who Died From COVID-19 as Determined, Quirky | New York Law Journal - Law.com
"colleague" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Uvr5Ps
https://ift.tt/2YviVIP
No comments:
Post a Comment