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Lawyer Profiled by the Voice Found Guilty of Witness Tampering; Suggested "Neutralizing" Them

By Roy Edroso Thu., Aug. 20 2009 at 12:13 PM
Categories: Featured, Legal
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Lawyer Robert Simels, whose shady dealings with his underworld clients were explored by David Shaftel in a June Voice article, was today found guilty of witness tampering and other charges. In the Voice story, Wiseguys author Nicholas Pileggi describes Simels as someone who "goes [to trial] with his smirk and his expensive clothes and likes to piss off guys who make $80,000 a year." In pursuit of this frisson, Shaftel reports, Simels was found by prosecutors to have discussed tactics "from offering [witnesses] money to murdering their family members." The government collected tapes of Shaftel offering to "neutralize" persons who might endanger the case of Guyanese drug-runner Roger Khan, whom he represented. Simels insisted this was merely a figure of speech. He may receive life in prison.

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