Name Frederick Lacey | ||
 | ||
Preceded by Donald Horowitz (acting) Born September 8, 1920 (age 103)
Newark, New Jersey ( 1920-09-08 ) Alma mater Rutgers University
Cornell Law School Education Rutgers University, Cornell Law School | ||
Succeeded by Alfred James Lechner, Jr. | ||
Frederick Bernard Lacey (September 8, 1920 – April 1, 2017) was a United States federal judge who also served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
Biography
Lacey was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1920 to Frederick Robert and Mary Agnes (Armstrong) Lacey. His father served as police chief for Newark. He received an A.B. from Rutgers University in 1941, and an LL.B. from Cornell Law School in 1948. He was a U.S. Naval Reserve Lieutenant Commander from 1942 to 1946. He married Mary C. Stoneham on May 20, 1944.
Lacey was in private practice in New York City from 1948 to 1951; in Newark from 1951 to 1952; and again in New York City from 1952 to 1953. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney of the District of New Jersey from 1953 to 1955. In 1954 he led the case that sent the mobster Albert Anastasia to prison for income tax evasion. He returned to private practice as a partner with the law firm of Shanley & Fisher in Newark from 1955 to 1969.
In 1969 Lacey was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey by President Richard Nixon. He served until 1971, leading a series of corruption prosecutions against high-profile figures in politics and organized crime, including against Newark Mayor Hugh Joseph Addonizio.
On October 7, 1970 Lacey was nominated by President Nixon to a new judgeship on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey created by 84 Stat. 294. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 13, 1970 and received his commission on January 26, 1971. He served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 1979 to 1985. Lacey's service was terminated on February 3, 1986 due to retirement.
After retiring from the bench Lacey worked for the firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby and MacRae. He was appointed a special judicial master overseeing the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. In 1992 he was appointed by United States Attorney General William Barr to investigate whether the Government mishandled a fraud case involving Banca Nazionale del Lavoro.
In 2006 he was appointed to be a federal monitor in an investigation of Bristol-Myers Squibb, centering on the distribution of the drug Plavix. The company complied with Lacey's recommendation to remove then CEO Peter R. Dolan. On April 1, 2017, he died in Naples, Florida at age 96.
On April 17, 2017, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed an Executive Order directing that both United States and New Jersey flags at state departments, offices, and agencies be flown at half-mast on April 19, 2017 in recognition of Lacey's passing.