Jump to content

John J. Duffy Jr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John J. Duffy Jr.
Born
John James Duffy Jr.

(1933-02-03)February 3, 1933
DiedFebruary 1, 2019(2019-02-01) (aged 85)
Alma materVillanova University School of Law
OccupationCriminal defense attorney
Spouses
  • Bridget Cotter
    (m. 1953; div. 1984)
  • Marie DelVecchio
    (m. 1986⁠–⁠2019)
Children7

John J. Duffy Jr. (February 3, 1933 - February 1, 2019) was an American criminal defense trial attorney.

Early life

[edit]

Duffy was born in West Philadelphia on February 3, 1933, and proceeding to graduate from La Salle University and Villanova University School of Law.[1] He served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

In 1960, Duffy began to practice law in West Chester.

Notable cases

[edit]

Duffy played a role in the 1980 ABSCAM scandal, in which numerous elected officials were targeted in an FBI sting operation, with agents posing as Arab businessmen offering bribes. Duffy was the lead defense attorney for Louis C. Johanson, a member of the Philadelphia City Council who was sentenced to three years in prison.[2]

In 1981, Duffy defended one of the Maragos brothers who, along with four others, were accused of fixing the Pennsylvania lottery's daily number. The event was known as the Triple Six Fix, because the winning number was 6-6-6. All of the Maragos brothers avoided jail time by agreeing to testify against the accused mastermind of the scam, Nick Perry.[3]

In 1991 Duffy began a 10-year defense of Andrew Byrne, who was accused of killing his wife. Byrne's conviction was twice overturned, and in 2001 Duffy secured a plea bargain for his client.[4]

Recovering alcoholics

[edit]

In 2009, Duffy was given the Osceola Wesley award by Chester County Drug Court his contributions to the "recovery of people gripped by addictive demons".[5]

Death

[edit]

Duffy died on February 1, 2019, at the age of 85 following several months of ill health.[6][1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Rellahan, Michael. "John J. Duffy Jr., attorney and recovery advocate, dies at 85". Daily Local News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  2. ^ Greenhouse, Linda (June 1, 1983). "Justices Refuse to Hear Appeals In 7 Abscam Cases". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Puko, Tim (April 27, 2008). "666 an infamous mark of state lottery fix in 1980". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  4. ^ Bernard, David (February 9, 2001). "Murder case had many twists and turns". Daily Local News. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Rellahan, Michael P. (May 10, 2009). "Chester County Drug Court to honor a worthy defense attorney". Daily Local News. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Obituary for John J. Duffy Jr". DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home, Inc. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
[edit]