John J. Duffy Jr. (February 3, 1933 - February 1, 2019) was an American
criminal defense
In the field of criminal law, there are a variety of conditions that will tend to negate elements of a crime (particularly the ''intent'' element), known as defenses. The label may be apt in jurisdictions where the ''accused'' may be assigned some ...
trial attorney.
Early life
Duffy was born in West Philadelphia on February 3, 1933, and proceeding to graduate from
La Salle University
La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle.
History
La ...
and
Villanova University School of Law.
He served in the Air Force during the Korean War.
In 1960, Duffy began to practice law in West Chester.
Notable cases
Duffy played a role in the 1980
ABSCAM scandal, in which numerous
elected officials were targeted in an FBI
sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person attempting to commit a crime. A typical sting will have an undercover law enforcement officer, detective, or co-operative member of the public play a role a ...
, with agents posing as Arab businessmen offering bribes. Duffy was the lead
defense attorney
A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...
for
Louis C. Johanson, a member of the
Philadelphia City Council
The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...
who was sentenced to three years in prison.
In 1981, Duffy defended one of the Maragos brothers who, along with four others, were accused of fixing the Pennsylvania lottery's daily number. The event was known as the
Triple Six Fix, because the winning number was 6-6-6. All of the Maragos brothers avoided jail time by agreeing to testify against the accused mastermind of the scam,
Nick Perry.
In 1991 Duffy began a 10-year defense of Andrew Byrne, who was accused of killing his wife. Byrne's conviction was twice overturned, and in 2001 Duffy secured a plea bargain for his client.
Recovering alcoholics
In 2009, Duffy was given the Osceola Wesley award by
Chester County Drug Court his contributions to the "recovery of people gripped by addictive demons".
Death
Duffy died on February 1, 2019, at the age of 85 following several months of ill health.
References
External links
Duffy and Greenofficial website.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy, John J. Jr.
1933 births
2019 deaths
American criminal defense lawyers
20th-century American lawyers