Criminal defense attorney Bruce Cutler, whose courtroom infamy was eclipsed only by his larger-than-life client client John Gotti, died on Monday,
He was 77. His death was confiremd by noted attorney Eddie Hayes, who teamed with Cutler on several high-profile cases.
While it was Gotti who earned the nickname of Teflon Don after a string of acquittals in the 1980s before he was finally convicted, it was Cutler plotting the strategy and making the arguments that got Gotti off.
“In his prime, he was really something,” Hayes said.
“He was a really tough guy, physically. He had big balls, and was a great cross examiner. He had a jury in his hands.”
1989
Robert Rosamilio/New York Daily News John Gotti, center, is at his arraignment on Jan. 24, 1989 at Manhattan Criminal Court. Gotti’s lawyer, Bruce Cutler, left, and along with another defendant, Anthony Guerrieri. (Robert Rosamilio/New York Daily News)
Cutler, who graduated cum laude from Hamilton College, where he starred in football and lacrosse, was influenced by his father, Murray Cutler, a detective who became a lawyer. Cutler started his career as a tireless assistant district attorney in Brooklyn before switching sides and defending criminals.
Cutler, who was raised in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, worked for several years with noted attorney Barry Slotnick before striking out on his own.
Cutler was a constant presence at Gotti’s side, both in and out the courtroom.– and on the front page.
Stotnick, who represented several organized crime figures bristled at being called a “mob lawyer,”
But Cutler seemed to soak it in.
Attorney Bruce Cutler
James Keivom/New York Daily News Bruce Cutler (James Keivom/New York Daily News)
“I was 36 years old, a kid, when I met him,” Cutler told the New York Times in 1993. “But he had faith in me, he trusted me. If that doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what does.”
Onetime mobster Anthony Ruggiano Jr., said Cutler had more than just a fondness for Gotti and the lifestyle.
“I think he wanted to be John Gotti.” Ruggiano said in a Netflix documentary. “He dressed like John Gotti, and he would shake our hands and kiss our cheeks like a wise guy.”
In 1992, Gotti was ultimately convicted of murder and racketeering. He died in 2002 from throat cancer at the age of 61 while serving a life sentence.
On one occasion, Cutler found himself in need of his own attorney, after he punched a loudmouth patron in a swanky Manhattan steakhouse.
Cutler was handcuffed in 2013 after cops said he slugged the fellow diner who ignored his repeated requests to pipe down during a dinner at the Porter House at Columbus Circle,
Cutler was given a desk appearance ticket for assault and released.
