Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been disbarred due to his involvement in conduct deemed unethical and professionally irresponsible following former President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election.
Giuliani, who initially gained fame for taking down the Mafia in New York City, faces multiple criminal indictments for his alleged actions to keep Trump in power.
Tuesday’s decision was made by a New York appeals court, as the New York Post reports:
“Rudolph William Giuliani, is disbarred from the practice of law, effective immediately, and until the further order of this Court, and his name stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law in the State of New York,” the First Department appeals court wrote in a decision released Tuesday.
Giuliani – once known as America’s Mayor for his response to the 9/11 terror attacks – was admitted to the Empire State’s bar in 1969 but has been stripped of his long-time profession following two criminal indictments for allegedly interfering in the 2020 presidential election.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Giuliani had his law license suspended in Washington, D.C.
In addition to serving as the mayor of New York City during 9/11, Giuliani dismantled the leadership of the Five Families of the New York Mafia while he was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in the 1980s. (RELATED: Tough Guy Actor Goes Full Mafia Boss After Hippies Go Crazy)
His efforts focused on using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to spearhead the landmark Mafia Commission Trial, decimating the leadership of the Five Families.
The trial resulted in the conviction of several top Mafia bosses:
- Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno: Boss of the Genovese family.
- Carmine “Junior” Persico: Boss of the Colombo family.
- Anthony “Tony Ducks” Corallo: Boss of the Lucchese family.
- Paul Castellano: Boss of the Gambino family (though he was murdered before he could be convicted in the Commission Trial, he was a target of Giuliani’s broader efforts).
Giuliani’s office also pursued John Gotti, the notorious boss of the Gambino family after he orchestrated Castellano’s murder, though Gotti was famously acquitted several times during Giuliani’s tenure. Gotti was eventually convicted in 1992, after Giuliani had left office, but his prosecution was built on groundwork laid by Giuliani and his team.
In the popular 2020 Netflix documentary series “Fear City: New York vs The Mafia,” Giuliani helped illuminate the complexities and risks involved in breaking the Mafia’s grip on the Big Apple.
