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Benjamin Brafman (born July 21, 1948) is a prominent American criminal defense attorney and founder of the
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of counties in New York, origin ...
-based
firm A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
Brafman & Associates, P.C.Amanda Mayo
Local High-Profile Defense Attorney Ben Brafman: "If you do Great Work, People will Start to Take Notice."
''South Shore Standard'' (June 8, 2012).
Brafman is known for representing many high-profile defendants, including celebrities, accused
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members, and political figures.


Early life and education

Brafman grew up in Brooklyn and Belle Harbor, Queens, a son of
Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally acce ...
s. Brafman's family fled from Europe to Cuba on their way to the United States just before World War II. He went to a Yeshiva High School and took night classes at
Brooklyn College , mottoeng = Nothing without great effort , established = , parent = CUNY , type = Public university , endowment = $98.0 million (2019) , budget = $123.96 m ...
, majoring in anthropology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Brafman received his
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
with distinction from Ohio Northern University College of Law. He also earned an LL.M. from
New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in New ...
. In May 2014, Brafman was awarded an honorary degree by Ohio Northern University College of Law.


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 United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...
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 Peter Gatien (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. He is best known as the former owner of several prominent New York City nightclubs, including Club USA, The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel. Life and career Gatien ...
,
Plaxico Burress Plaxico Antonio Burress (born August 12, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Michigan State, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth ove ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
, Carl Kruger, Charles Kushner, Marvell Scott,
Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
("Puff Daddy"),
Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante,
Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano,
online gambling Online gambling is any kind of gambling conducted on the internet. This includes virtual poker, casinos and sports betting. The first online gambling venue opened to the general public was ticketing for the Liechtenstein International Lottery in ...
figure Jay Cohen,
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist ...
, Rabbi Menachem Youlus, political pundit
Dinesh D'Souza Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an Indian-American right-wing political commentator, author, filmmaker, and conspiracy theorist. He has written over a dozen books, several of them ''New York Times'' best-sellers. In 2012, D' ...
, high-profile attorney Sanford Rubenstein, Martin Shkreli, and
Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films incl ...
.


Notable cases

Brafman slowly established his reputation as a celebrity lawyer through a series of high-profile cases.


Sean "P. Diddy" Combs trial

Brafman’s profile rose following the acquittal of client Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, on 1999 illegal weapons and bribery charges. The criminal charges stemmed from a nightclub brawl, while accompanied by then-girlfriend
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, and Combs's usual entourage, and was witnessed by over 100 other people. Numerous prosecution witnesses testified to Combs's culpability; a not guilty verdict was decreed on all charges.


Plaxico Burress shooting

On November 30, 2008, Brafman was hired to represent NFL star
Plaxico Burress Plaxico Antonio Burress (born August 12, 1977) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Michigan State, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers eighth ove ...
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 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
head
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist ...
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 The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ( ...
Cyrus Vance, and then charges dropped by
New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited ci ...
Justice Michael Obus. Brafman discussed his defense of Strauss-Kahn on ''
Charlie Rose Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American former television journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show '' Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg LP. Rose also co-an ...
'' in February, 2012.


Martin Wolmark

In 2014 and 2015, Brafman represented Martin Wolmark of the Epstein-Wolmark gang, an outfit that had plotted the kidnap and torture of
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
husbands to coerce them into granting their wives '' get''s (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 Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films incl ...
hired Brafman in 2017, after numerous sexual abuse allegations against him from prominent members of Hollywood resulted in charges and a criminal trial. 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 The casting couch is a euphemism for the practice of soliciting sexual favors from a job applicant in exchange for employment in the entertainment industry, primarily acting roles. The practice is illegal in the United States. Predominantly male ...
in Hollywood. Bad behavior is not on trial in this case." In January 2019, Brafman and Weinstein issued a joint statement officially parting ways. Weinstein would subsequently get convicted on several charges, and sentenced to 23 years in prison.


Personal life

Brafman is a practicing
Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...
. 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 The Five Towns is an informal grouping of villages and hamlets in Nassau County, United States on the South Shore of western Long Island adjoining the border with Queens County in New York City. Although there is no official Five Towns de ...
area of
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
since 1981. The couple have two children, Jennifer and David, and a number of grandchildren. Brafman's older brother, Aaron, was an Orthodox
rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
in
Far Rockaway, Queens Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 32nd Street east to the Nassau County lin ...
. Brafman is a self-described "short Jewish guy," standing five feet, six inches tall.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brafman, Benjamin 1948 births American Orthodox Jews Brooklyn College alumni Criminal defense lawyers Jewish American attorneys Living people New York University School of Law alumni New York (state) lawyers Claude W. Pettit College of Law alumni People from Lawrence, Nassau County, New York 21st-century American Jews