Benjamin Brafman - Biography

Benjamin "Ben" Brafman (born July 21, 1948) is a criminal defense attorney based in New York. He maintains a firm focused on criminal defense, Brafman Associates, in New York City and has handled cases for clients including Jacob Arabo, James Patino, Peter Gatien, Plaxico Burress, Michael Jackson, Carl Kruger, Charles Kushner,, Marvell Scott, Rocco Murdocca ("The gut plumber of Brooklyn"), Vincent Basciano, Sean Combs, Jay-Z and Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

High-profile cases

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs Illegal Gun and Bribery Charges

Brafman's profile rose following his winning the acquittal of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, who was acquitted from his 1999 illegal weapons and bribery charges. The criminal charges stemmed from a nightclub brawl, while accompanied by then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and Combs' usual entourage, and witnessed by over 100 other people. Despite the numerous prosecution witnesses to Combs' culpability, and Combs' fame, Brafman's legal skills produced a unanimous 'not guilty' verdict.

Jay-Z and the assault on Lance Rivera

Brafman also represented Jay-Z when the rapper was accused of assaulting record producer Lance "Un" Rivera at New York's Kit Kat club in December 1999. Jay-Z pleaded guilty as part of a deal, and was given three years of probation. In 2002, Jay-Z referenced Brafman in his featured appearance on Cam'ron's "Welcome to New York City".

Plaxico Burress shooting

On November 30, 2008, Brafman was hired to represent NFL star Plaxico Burress 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 head Dominique Strauss-Kahn 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 Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and then charges dropped by New York State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus.

Personal life

Brafman's family fled from Europe to Cuba on their way to the United States just before World War II. He received an ultra-Orthodox education. Brafman is a practicing Orthodox Jew. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College and Ohio Northern University College of Law. He also has an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. He lives in Lawrence, New York.

Further reading

• Feature on Brafman in New York magazine
• Feature on Brafman in The New York Times

External links

• Brafman & Associates P.C.