Cases In The News

Attorney Mark Bederow, a former prosecutor at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, is well-known for aggressive advocacy on behalf of his clients. He has successfully represented clients in serious matters where people's liberty and future rest in the balance. As an experienced and creative advocate, Mr. Bederow has gained favorable outcomes for his clients through trials, contested legal proceedings, legal argument, negotiation, and demonstrating clients' innocence. Mr. Bederow's practice is concentrated on traditional street crime and white-collar crime prosecuted in New York and New Jersey's federal and state courts.

Over the course of more than 20 years practicing criminal law as a Manhattan assistant district attorney and in private practice, Mr. Bederow has earned a reputation as a zealous advocate, a legal strategist, and a top-notch trial attorney. This skill set has served his clients well; Mr. Bederow works tirelessly to reach a favorable outcome for his clients, and as an accomplished trial attorney, he is prepared to try a case if it is in the best interest of a client.

Mr. Bederow spent four years at a large international law firm, where he represented business entities and individuals in substantial white collar matters, including federal criminal proceedings and internal investigations. Mr. Bederow's reputation and experience have resulted in his frequently being called upon to provide legal commentary on criminal matters of public interest in national and local television and print media.

A Reputation For Victory

Mr. Bederow has an exceptional track record of success as a defense attorney and prosecutor:

• In one case which received worldwide media attention, he successfully defended a former Supervisory Special Agent of the FBI against four counts of murder arising out of allegations that he assisted a notorious Mafia informant commit organized-crime related murders in Brooklyn. All charges were dismissed mid-trial after defense cross-examination exposed that the prosecution's chief witnesses were lying.
• Among his many trial successes are acquittals in serious sexual assault cases and several self-defense cases, including a well-known Manhattan case in which an opera singer was accused of assaulting a doctor over a petty dispute at a Trader Joe's store in Manhattan.
• In another well-known case, Mr. Bederow successfully represented a Florida landscaper who faced several years in prison for accidentally bringing a loaded firearm into Manhattan. Mr. Bederow's client was acquitted by a jury after less than 30 minutes of deliberation.
• Mr. Bederow has successfully defended several citizens who unknowingly found themselves facing years in state prison after being accused of violating New York's stringent gun possession laws. In addition to the Florida case referenced above, he recently represented another Florida resident who accidentally brought a firearm into New York. Although the Queens District Attorney sought prison, all charges were dismissed against Mr. Bederow's client after he appeared before a grand jury.
• Mr. Bederow's advocacy has resulted in the dismissal of charges or non-criminal resolutions for several clients arrested with firearms at LaGuardia and JFK airport. Finally, in a case which received national attention about the wisdom of New York's gun law, Mr. Bederow successfully negotiated a non-jail resolution for a former Marine arrested at the Empire State Building with a loaded firearm.

Attorney Bederow Never Stops Fighting

Mr. Bederow also assists clients with wrongful convictions and post-conviction re-investigation and litigation. His relentless advocacy recently resulted in an innocent client who was wrongfully prosecuted in Brooklyn being released after being incarcerated for one year. This injustice received prominent media attention and became a key issue in the most recent campaign for Brooklyn District Attorney. Among Mr. Bederow's current clients is John Giuca, whose 2005 wrongful conviction for a high-profile 2003 Brooklyn murder is presently being reviewed by the Brooklyn DA's Conviction Review Unit.

History Of Success

Prior to entering private practice in 2004, Mr. Bederow served as an assistant district attorney at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which is the pre-eminent state prosecutor's office in the United States.

As a prosecutor at the nation's leading prosecutor's office, Mr. Bederow conducted many significant investigations and prosecutions:

• In a case which received worldwide attention, he prosecuted one of the first indictments under New York's hate crime statute when he successfully prosecuted a German national who attempted to burn down a Jewish neighbor's apartment in a Manhattan high-rise apartment building.
• He successfully tried a police officer who, only months after 9/11, assaulted an Egyptian cab driver.
• While in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Mr. Bederow also trained younger prosecutors in trial practice and supervised several attorneys in making charging decisions for new arrests.
• Mr. Bederow also successfully tried People v. Sumpter, 190 Misc.2d 115 (App. Term 1st Dept 2001) , a sexual abuse prosecution which clarified the New York standard on what constitutes "sexual gratification."

Mr. Bederow's clients include individuals and business entities, including: