Duncan Levin

From Wikitia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Duncan Levin
Add a Photo
Born (1975-07-14) July 14, 1975 (age 48)
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Education
  • Yale University (BA)
  • Yale Law School (JD)
OccupationAttorney
EmployerLevin & Associates, PLLC
Notable work
  • Representation of Harvey Weinstein
  • Representation of Clare Bronfman
  • Representation of Anna Sorokin
  • Representation of Jennifer Weisselberg
  • Representation of Oleg Deripaska
  • Representation of Miles Kwok

Duncan Levin (born July 14, 1975) is an American criminal defense attorney who has represented several high-profile defendants including Harvey Weinstein and Oleg Deripaska. He is the founding partner in the Manhattan-based law firm Levin & Associates PLLC..[1] [2]

Early Life and Education

Levin was born in New York City, where he attended Horace Mann High School [3]. He is a graduate of Yale College, where he graduated magna cum laude, and received his J.D degree at Yale Law School [4].

Legal Career

Duncan Levin was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2003.[5]

Federal prosecutor

In 2004, Levin served as Manhattan Assistant District Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, focusing on financial crime, money laundering, and the Bank Secrecy Act.[6] [7] He was overseen by the U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch during his tenure, who went on to become the U.S. Attorney General [8]

In 2010 Levin oversaw the American government’s case to recover and return a stolen Degas painting to the French government [9].

In 2014, Levin helped recover a $55 million asset forfeiture against Structure Tone, Inc. [10]

Defense attorney

In 2013, Levin left the U.S. Attorney’s Office and founded Tucker Levin, PLLC, a New York City-based bespoke legal consulting firm, with his partner Michael Tucker.[11]. The firm later changed its name to Levin & Associates, PLLC. [12]

In 2016, Duncan Levin assisted rapper Wiz Khalifa in establishing his cannabis company, "Young Wild and Free." The company offers a range of branded products, including the famous Khalifa Kush strain and a wax concentrate called Wiz Wax[13]

In June 2017, Duncan Levin represented Miles Kwok, Chinese real estate magnate also known as Guo Wengui, in multiple libel and defamation lawsuits filed against him in the U.S. [14]. Levin and Kwok ceased their relationship in 2019 [15].

In 2018, Duncan Levin served as legal counsel for music executive Charlie Walk, the head of Republic Records and judge on the television show "The Four." Walk was facing allegations that a former employee was attempting to extort him prior to making a claim against him for sexual misconduct. Levin filed a complaint with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and head Walk's legal team [16][17].

In January 2019, Duncan Levin represented Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood producer accused of sexual assault and rape in his ‘dream team’ of defense lawyers.[18] [19] [20].

In 2019, Duncan Levin served as legal counsel for Manhattan attorney Steven Etkind, who was facing charges of stealing money intended for charity from a wealthy Long Island client's estate, using it to purchase a $3 million Southampton beach mansion, and failing to pay taxes on it. Levin argued that Etkind's actions of redirecting funds into the beach house and deceiving the IRS from 2009 to 2012 were "aberrant." [21][22].

In 2020, Duncan Levin was retained by former Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar to defend against federal lawsuits in the United States that accused him of committing atrocities through his military company. The lawsuits specifically alleged Haftar of committing torture and extrajudicial killings. However, in 2021, Levin withdrew from the case shortly after the U.S. State Department declined to grant diplomatic immunity to Haftar [23][24].

In 2020, Levin was chosen to represent Seagram heiress and former NXIVM leader Clare Bronfman [25]. In 2020, Duncan Levin issued a statement to CNN following her sentencing. In the statement, Levin argued that Bronfman was anticipating punishment for her guilty plea, but believed that her sentence was too severe in light of her conduct. Despite media reports suggesting otherwise, the court determined that Bronfman did not finance a sex cult [26]. Bronfman intends to appeal the decision promptly and with determination. As of 2022, Levin successfully argued against the US government to drop the sex-offender label from Bronfman’s file [27] .

In September 2021, Levin represented Jennifer Weisselberg, the daughter-in-law of Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg was in possession of documents relevant to investigators from the Manhattan DA's office and the New York attorney general's office [28][29]. Levin confirmed to the NY Times that Ms. Weisselberg was committed to cooperating with law enforcement [30].

In 2022, Levin filed a petition on behalf of Oleg Deripaska, the Russian billionaire and ally of Vladimir Putin, who faced U.S. sanctions for his alleged involvement in election interference and other malign activities, asking the U.S. to lift sanctions issued against him [31]. In July 2022, Levin lodged an ethics complaint against Delvey’s former lawyer, accusing her of withholding documentary evidencen

In 2022, Duncan Levin began representing Anna Sorokin, known as Anna Delvey, the subject of the Netflix series ‘Inventing Anna’ [32]. In July 2022, Levin lodged an ethics complaint against Delvey’s former lawyer, accusing her of withholding documentary evidence [33]. In October 2022, Levin successfully argued for Sorokin’s removal from a New York prison [34]. In January 2023, Levin confirmed to Page Six that Sorokin was developing a reality TV project [35].

As of 2022, Duncan Levin represented billionaire real-estate mogul Patrick Carroll [36]. In August 2022, Carroll was involved in an alleged 'billionaire brawl' in Capri. Levin told Page Six that what was meant to be a fun night out had become unnecessary drama and that everyone had spoken and things were good now. In January 2023, Page Six reported that Carroll had decided against donating $1.5 million to Unicef after dubbing the organization "fraudulent" [37]. Duncan Levin told Page Six that Carroll is a philanthropist and will continue to donate to organizations when money actually reaches those in need.

Additional

In 2014, Duncan Levin joined security firm Pegasus Capital as Senior Vice President of Financial Intelligence [38].

Levin serves on the board of directors for Rebellion Research [39], General Cannabis [40], and GoFire [41].

Duncan Levin has been included in the Yahoo Finance and Hollywood Digest "Top Successful Entrepreneurs to Watch" list [42]

Duncan Levin is a commentator and frequent contributor to Law & Crime TV[43]

References

  1. ↑ "Duncan Levin". officialusa.com. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  2. ↑ "Serial podcast: What's next for Adnan Syed?". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  3. ↑ Salon Privé Magazine (2021-11-30). "Chronicling the Rise of Duncan Levin". Salon Privé Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  4. ↑ "Samantha Lazarus and Duncan Levin". The New York Times. 2005-06-26. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  5. ↑ "OpenGovNY". OpenGovNY. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  6. ↑ "Delivery Man Held on Charges of Making Phone Threats to Women". Queens Gazette. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  7. ↑ "Trump investigations witness hired former top Manhattan prosecutor". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  8. ↑ "Noted Attorney Duncan Levin Joins General Cannabis Board of Directors". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  9. ↑ "Former Chief of Asset Forfeiture Unit at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax Charges". www.justice.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  10. ↑ Lucas, Lucas A. (2014-05-07). "Structure Tone Lacked Structure". New York Real Estate Law Blog. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  11. ↑ "Tucker Levin Company Profile". Datanyze. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ "SEC Filing - 8-K". SEC.gov. 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  13. ↑ Borchardt, Debra (2016-12-06). "Celebrity Marijuana Gonzoed Too Far". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  14. ↑ "Chinese businessman Guo sued in New York for slander, libel". The Business Times. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  15. ↑ Harris, Andrew M. (2018-01-18). "Superstar Lawyer David Boies Splits With Fugitive Chinese Tycoon". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  16. ↑ "Charlie Walk's Alleged Extortionist Left Voicemail Demanding He Resign to Avoid #MeToo Allegations". TMZ. 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  17. ↑ Halperin, Ian Mohr and Oli (2018-02-05). "Charlie Walk claims he was being extorted before allegations". Page Six. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  18. ↑ Moore, Jackie Salo and Emily (2019-01-23). "Harvey Weinstein assembles dream team of lawyers". Page Six. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  19. ↑ "Judge OKs new Harvey Weinstein lawyers who once represented accuser". Insider. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  20. ↑ McNary, Dave (2019-01-23). "Harvey Weinstein Hires New Lawyers Who Once Represented Rose McGowan". Variety. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  21. ↑ Hill, Stewart (2019-01-23). "Ex-Sadis Goldberg Atty Gets 3 Years For Charity Tax Scam". Law360. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  22. ↑ "Ex-attorney gets 3 years for $1.5M charity scam". Newsday. 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  23. ↑ "Haftar denied immunity, loses lead US war crimes trial lawyer". Africa Intelligence. 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  24. ↑ Abouzeid, Julian Pecquet and Rym (2020-08-04). "Libyan strongman Haftar gets a legal team to fight human rights charges". Foreign Lobby. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  25. ↑ Carleo-Evangelist, Robert Gavin and Jordan (2020-07-24). "NXIVM's Clare Bronfman sentencing set for Sept. 30". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  26. ↑ Moghe, Sonia (2020-09-30). "Heiress sentenced to nearly seven years in Nxivm case, more than recommended sentence". CNN. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  27. ↑ Parlato, Frank (2022-11-24). "Clare Bronfman Reassigned to Lowest Security Prison Camp; BOP Removes Sex Offender Designation to Settle Lawsuit". Frank Report. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  28. ↑ Sheth, Sonam (2021-04-29). "Trump investigations witness hired a former top Manhattan prosecutor to represent him in the criminal probe into the Trump Organization". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  29. ↑ "Trump Organization and CFO Allen Weisselberg plead not guilty to tax crimes". CNN. 2021-07-01. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  30. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin and William K. Rashbaum (2021-04-08). "Trump's Money Man: Another New York Real Estate Scion". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  31. ↑ Hurley, Lawrence (2022-06-28). "Russian oligarch Deripaska asks U.S. Supreme Court to take up sanctions challenge". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  32. ↑ Harris, Jody (2021-12-29). "Anna Delvey's Lawyer Duncan Levin Is 'Optimistic' She'll Be Released in the Coming Weeks". Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  33. ↑ Hawkins, Andrew (2021-12-29). "Anna Delvey Sorokin's ex-lawyer 'run away' with court file, impeding appeal". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  34. ↑ Associated Press (2022-10-06). "Fake heiress Anna Sorokin to be released from New York prison". Spectrum News. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  35. ↑ Heller, Zachary Kussin and Tamar Lapin (2023-01-09). "Anna Delvey developing reality show to shed 'con artist' label". Page Six. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  36. ↑ Smith, Emily (2022-08-03). "Mogul M. Patrick Carroll in alleged billionaire brawl". Page Six. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  37. ↑ Smith, Emily (2023-01-18). "Patrick Carroll won't be donating $1.5 million to UNICEF after all". Page Six. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  38. ↑ "Duncan Levin, Former Chief of Asset Forfeiture at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and Federal Prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, Joins Tucker & Meltzer". Patrick Carroll. 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  39. ↑ "Former Federal Prosecutor Duncan Levin Joins Our Board". Rebellion Research. 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  40. ↑ "Noted Attorney Duncan Levin Joins General Cannabis Board of Directors". PR Newswire. 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  41. ↑ "Former Federal Prosecutor Changes Teams, Joins Cannabis Company". The Fresh Toast. 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  42. ↑ Levin, Duncan (2022-12-30). "Top Successful Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  43. ↑ Hansen, Aaron (2021-07-01). "Bodycam: Police Find Young Girls Inside Polygamist Cult Leader Samuel Bateman's Trailer During Traffic Stop". Law & Crime. Retrieved 2023-02-15.

External links

Add External links

This article "Duncan Levin" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.

Retrieved from "https://wikitia.com/index.php?title=Duncan_Levin&oldid=183984"