Judge Says Lawyer Who Wants to Use His Own $2.5M Loft for Accused Madam's $2M Bond Isn't Her Counsel
A lawyer who offered to put up his $2.5 million New York City loft as collateral for his client’s $2 million bond in a high-profile prostitution case isn’t her counsel any more, a Manhattan judge has ruled.
Peter Gleason is “no longer an attorney in the case. He’s an attorney who wants to put up his apartment for collateral,” said Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.
A new lawyer, Gary Greenwald, is now representing Anna Gristina, who is accused of running a $10 million prostitution operation catering to high-end clients from her Upper East Side apartment, the New York Daily News reports.
Prosecutors had objected to what they described as a “murky” relationship between Gristina and Gleason, but those objections are now moot because he no longer is her counsel.
In addition to Gleason, another lawyer, Richard Siracusa, who formerly represented Gristina also stepped down today, after complaining that Gleason was hijacking the defense of the case, the New York Daily News reported in an earlier story.
Greenwald is known for his defense of reputed Mafia leader Vincent Gigante, Bloomberg notes.
Additional and related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Defense Lawyer Offers His Own NYC Loft to Back Client’s $2M Bond in High-Profile Prostitution Case”
Associated Press: “Lawyer for Anna Gristina interested in plea deal in NYC madam case”
New York Daily News: “Manhattan madam case: Where on Earth did Anna Gristina find lawyer Peter Gleason?”
City Room (New York Times): “Defense Lawyers Tangle in Brothel Case”
