Benjamin Brafman
Encyclopedia
Benjamin "Ben" Brafman is a criminal defense attorney based in New York
. He maintains a firm focused on criminal defense, Brafman Associates, in New York City
and has handled cases for clients including Jacob Arabo
, James Patino, Peter Gatien
, Plaxico Burress
, Michael Jackson
, Carl Kruger
, Charles Kushner
,, Marvell Scott
, Rocco Murdocca ("The gut plumber of Brooklyn"), Vincent Basciano
, Sean Combs
, Jay-Z
and Dominique Strauss-Kahn
.
and Combs' usual entourage, and witnessed by over 100 other people. Despite the numerous prosecution witnesses to Combs' culpability, and Combs' fame, Brafman's legal skills produced a unanimous 'not guilty' verdict.
when the rapper was accused of assaulting record producer Lance "Un" Rivera at New York's Kit Kat club in December 1999. Jay-Z pleaded guilty as part of a deal, and was given three years of probation. In 2002, Jay-Z referenced Brafman in his featured appearance on Cam'ron
's "Welcome to New York City".
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.
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 Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and then charges dropped by New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus.
Brafman is a practicing Orthodox Jew. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College
and Ohio Northern University College of Law. He also has an LL.M. from New York University School of Law
. He lives in Lawrence, New York
.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He maintains a firm focused on criminal defense, Brafman Associates, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and has handled cases for clients including Jacob Arabo
Jacob Arabo
Jacob Arabo is a Bukharian-American jeweler who is owner and founder of Jacob & Company...
, James Patino, Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien was the owner of several New York nightclubs, including The Limelight, Palladium, Club USA, and Tunnel. He was once dubbed as the "King of New York Clubs", during his time in New York City.-Life and career:...
, Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Burress
Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Carl Kruger
Carl Kruger
Carl Kruger is an American politician, a Democrat who represents District 27 in the New York State Senate, which comprises Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Gravesend, Bergen Beach, Mill Basin, and Midwood, among other neighborhoods found within his native Brooklyn...
, Charles Kushner
Charles Kushner
Charles Kushner is an American real estate developer, philanthropist and political fundraiser.- Family :Kushner's parents were Joseph and Rae Kushner, who had come to America from Belarus by way of Italy in 1949...
,, Marvell Scott
Marvell Scott
Marvell Scott is a former sports reporter for WABC-TV in New York City. He came to WABC from Dayton, Ohio in 2002.He is a graduate of Wheaton Central High School in Wheaton, Illinois, a graduate of the University of Delaware and a graduate of Wright State University Boonshoft School of...
, Rocco Murdocca ("The gut plumber of Brooklyn"), Vincent Basciano
Vincent Basciano
Vincent J. Basciano is an American mobster who rose to become acting boss of the Bonanno crime family after the arrest of Joseph Massino. He is nicknamed "Vinny Gorgeous", due to owning a Bronx beauty salon called "Hello Gorgeous," and for his fastidious grooming, hairstyle and looks...
, Sean Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn , often referred to in the media, and by himself, as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, politician, and member of the French Socialist Party...
.
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs Illegal Gun and Bribery Charges
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 LopezJennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Combs' usual entourage, and witnessed by over 100 other people. Despite the numerous prosecution witnesses to Combs' culpability, and Combs' fame, Brafman's legal skills produced a unanimous 'not guilty' verdict.
Jay-Z and the assault on Lance Rivera
Brafman also represented Jay-ZJay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
when the rapper was accused of assaulting record producer Lance "Un" Rivera at New York's Kit Kat club in December 1999. Jay-Z pleaded guilty as part of a deal, and was given three years of probation. In 2002, Jay-Z referenced Brafman in his featured appearance on Cam'ron
Cam'ron
Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....
's "Welcome to New York City".
Plaxico Burress shooting
On November 30, 2008, Brafman was hired to represent NFL star Plaxico BurressPlaxico Burress
Plaxico Antonio Burress is an American football wide receiver who currently plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth overall in the 2000 NFL Draft...
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 IMFInternational Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
head Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn , often referred to in the media, and by himself, as DSK, is a French economist, lawyer, politician, and member of the French Socialist Party...
in a sexual assault case
Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case
New York v. Strauss-Kahn was a criminal case relating to allegations of sexual assault and attempted rape made by a hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, against Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the Sofitel New York Hotel on May 14, 2011. The charges were dismissed at the request of the prosecution which pointed...
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 Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and then charges dropped by New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus.
Personal life
Brafman's family fled from Europe to Cuba on their way to the United States just before World War II. He received an ultra-Orthodox education.Brafman is a practicing Orthodox Jew. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
and Ohio Northern University College of Law. He also has an LL.M. from New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
. He lives in Lawrence, New York
Lawrence, Nassau County, New York
Lawrence is a village in Nassau County, New York in the USA. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 6,483.The Village of Lawrence is in the southwest corner of the Town of Hempstead, adjoining the border with the New York City borough of Queens to the west and near the...
.
Further reading
- Feature on Brafman in New York magazineNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
- Feature on Brafman in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...