Lawyer Who Threatened to Neutralize Witness Gets 14-Year Sentence
A high-profile criminal defense lawyer convicted of witness tampering was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday.
The conviction of New York lawyer Robert Simels had “sent a chill through New York’s community of defense lawyers,” the New York Times reports. He had represented well-known clients, including accused drug kingpins and mob informant Henry Hill.
He was convicted after being caught on tape talking about the need to need to “eliminate” or “neutralize” witnesses against a client in a major drug case. Simels had contended the threats shouldn’t be taken literally.
“The tapes of Mr. Simels made for a rueful ending to a career that had been highlighted by moments of brilliance,” the Times says. The former prosecutor-turned defense lawyer had “developed a reputation as a dogged advocate for his clients and a meticulously prepared trial lawyer. He also found himself in much-publicized ethical scrapes, and was barred from at least one courtroom by a judge.”
Simels gave an apologetic and emotional speech before he was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined $225,000, the New York Law Journal reports. He could have received a life sentence.
“Whatever self-esteem I had, whatever self-worth I had has been destroyed by this process,” Simels said. “I’m responsible for where I stand.”
An associate in Simels’ firm who was also convicted in the case had a very different outcome. U.S. District Judge John Gleeson of Brooklyn, N.Y., set aside the conviction of Arienne Irving and dismissed the case, saying an opinion would follow.
