Money’s Source ‘Irrelevent’ : ‘Mob Mouthpiece’ Fights U.S. Attempt to Seize Fees

LAS VEGAS —  Oscar Goodman has defended a federal judge and the mayor of San Diego, derailed a U.S. attorney general’s wiretap efforts and proudly wears the title “mob mouthpiece,” having represented a who’s who of alleged crime figures.

Now he’s embroiled in a new battle, fighting a government plan to seize defense lawyers’ fees if it can be proved they are paid with money gained by defendants illegally.

“It’s not relevant where they (criminal defense attorneys) get their money,” Goodman contends. He says the government doesn’t question the source of money defendants pay grocers, doctors and others.

The National Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers, which once hailed Goodman as “Liberty’s Last Champion,” is fighting the new government initiative, with Goodman helping to lead the charge.

‘A Mental Deficiency’

On CBS’ “60 Minutes” program, Goodman attacked the provision and also referred to government prosecutors by saying, “They’re aspiring to be a judge, or have a mental deficiency.”

Bill Maddox, U.S. attorney for Nevada, called Goodman’s comments “in poor taste” and disagreed with his reasoning on the new law.

“We can’t take that money from a lawyer unless we can prove the lawyer knew at the time he took the money that it was from a criminal activity,” Maddox said. “As for the argument of a grocer taking money from a criminal, there is no way the grocer would ever know it was from a criminal activity.”

Maddox said the new initiative is in response to public demand “that we do something about these types of criminals. They get kids hooked on drugs, they commit murders. There is a tremendous social cost for their type of activity.”

‘I Was Successful’

In the past, Goodman has defended such alleged crime figures as the late Meyer Lansky of Miami, Nick Civella of Kansas City and Tony Giordano of St. Louis.

“I was successful,” Goodman said in an interview in his office. “I developed the reputation of mob mouthpiece. I take it as a compliment.”

Does he have any misgivings about representing clients the government claims to be among America’s criminal elite?

“In their dealings with me they’ve been gentle as lambs,” Goodman said of his clients. “The idea of an organized crime mob is the creation of law enforcement because of their inability to solve street crimes.”

Does he defend clients he knows may be guilty?

“It’s not up to me to make that determination,” Goodman said. “It’s up to the prosecutors to prove it.”

Lost Hedgecock Fight

Goodman fought a losing battle for former San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock, who was convicted in October on perjury and conspiracy charges stemming from the financing of his 1983 mayoral campaign. Hedgecock is appealing the conviction.

And Goodman is appealing the conviction of his longtime friend, U.S. District Judge Harry Claiborne, on tax evasion charges.

He blames “judicial manipulations” for the Claiborne conviction and “public sentiment on the political corruption issue” for hurting Hedgecock.

Goodman, 46, a native of Philadelphia, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He was working as a clerk in the district attorney’s office when two detectives from Las Vegas testified in a Philadelphia murder trial.

Vegas Weather Better

The detectives convinced Goodman that the warm Las Vegas desert sun was far superior to Philadelphia’s bitter winter cold.

“I went home and told my wife we were moving to Las Vegas,” he says, laughing. “I came out to Las Vegas on a junket flight, went downtown and began going door to door to lawyers at random one Saturday morning.”

Goodman’s first major break as a defense attorney came when he played a minor role in torpedoing wiretap provisions of the 1968 Omnibus Crime Bill.

Next he was able to get Lansky severed from a casino skimming trial in Las Vegas. The charge against Lansky was later dismissed because of his failing health.

Goodman’s credentials skyrocketed in December, 1970, when federal agents raided bookmaking operations in 26 cities.

“I was hired to represent defendants in 19 of the 26 cities,” he said. “I was lucky enough to discover that (U.S.) Atty. Gen. John N. Mitchell had illegally delegated the responsibility for authorizing the wiretaps to an executive assistant.”

The wiretap evidence so vital to the case was thrown out and “at that point in time I developed a reputation as a real miracle worker.”