Kenneth Michael Karas (born April 18, 1964) is a
United States district judge
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...
of the
.
Education and career
Born in
Colorado Springs,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, Karas received a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in 1986 and a
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 ...
from
Columbia Law School in 1991. Karas was a
law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...
for Judge
Reena Raggi of the
in 1992. He was an
Assistant United States Attorney
An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...
of the Southern District of New York from 1992 to 2004.
Federal judicial service
On September 18, 2003, Karas was nominated by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
to a seat on the
vacated by
Allen G. Schwartz
Allen George Schwartz (August 23, 1934 – March 22, 2003) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Education and career
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Schwartz received a Bachelo ...
. Karas was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
on June 3, 2004, and received his commission on June 13, 2004.
Notable cases
*On January 11, 2008, Karas sentenced Olympic gold medalist
Marion Jones to six months in prison for making false statements after it was discovered that she had lied to federal investigators on two separate occasions: when she and
Tim Montgomery
Timothy Montgomery (born January 28, 1975) is an American former track sprinter who specialized in the 100-meter dash. In 2005, he was stripped of his records—including a now-void men's 100-meter world record of 9.78 seconds set in 2002—a ...
were being investigated over the
BALCO scandal and about her knowledge of fellow Olympian Montgomery's involvement in fraud. On May 16 that year he sentenced Montgomery, who was also Jones' ex-boyfriend, to 46 months in prison for his part in a multimillion-dollar fake-check scheme.
*In February and March 2015 Karas presided over
Malcolm Smith and
Dan Halloran
Daniel J. Halloran III (born March 16, 1971) is a former member of the New York City Council. He was indicted on corruption charges in 2013, did not run for reelection, was convicted in July 2014, and is currently back in the private sector on L ...
's trials for corruption. Smith was convicted on bribery and extortion charges while Halloran was found guilty of various corruption charges, including taking bribes to aid Smith's
2013 campaign for
Mayor of New York City
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
. He turned down the defense's appeal for leniency and sentenced Halloran to ten years in prison. The high-profile trials of Smith and Halloran were part of string of cases brought forward by federal investigators in an effort to curb political corruption within the New York state government.
Personal life
He is married to Frances Bivens and has two children.
References
External links
*
Profile– Southern District of New York
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karas, Kenneth Michael
1964 births
Living people
Assistant United States Attorneys
Columbia Law School alumni
Georgetown University alumni
Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
People from Colorado Springs, Colorado
United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush
21st-century American judges
Judges of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court