Crain's New York Business: Taking Bigger Caseload
George Stamboulidis, Managing Partner of the firm's New York office and co-leader of the national White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations practice, was featured in the May 4, 2009, edition of Crain's New York Business in its "Business Lives" section. The article, "Taking Bigger Caseload: Ex-Federal Prosecutor Moves Up in Corporate World to Head Baker Hostetler's NY Office," profiles Stamboulidis' career from federal prosecutor to private-sector attorney to assuming leadership of the firm's New York office earlier this year.
According to the article, to those who have worked with him, Stamboulidis is an obvious choice to lead during uncertain times. "The distinctive thing about George is that he was well-respected by the FBI agents, by the judges, by the defense lawyers and even by the defendants themselves," said Judge John Gleeson, Eastern District of New York, who used to head the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's office. "[George] was an aggressive and effective prosecutor, and you just knew he was a completely honorable guy."
According to the article, it took Stamboulidis, whom Crain's dubbed "principled and tenacious," longer than most to cycle through the federal prosecutor's office. An admitted Godfather buff, he relished chasing down Cosa Nostra. "You were always looking for the next big case," he explained. The high point came with the successful prosecution and 1997 conviction of Vincent "Vinny the Chin" Gigante, boss of the Genovese crime family, best known for his years spent wandering Greenwich Village in a bathrobe and slippers in a bid to plead mental illness.
The case involved a cast of characters whom Stamboulidis and his team were able to flip for the prosecution, including Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, former underboss of the Gambino crime family, and various underbosses of the Lucchese and Bruno/Scarfo crime families. He is now steeped in corporate intrigue, instead of violent crime, and says he has no regrets. "After a while in that world, you've pretty much seen it all," Stamboulidis said. "It was time to move on."