[7][8] A 1998 profile in The New York Times referred to him as "regarded on Centre Street as a brilliant tactician and a very good trial lawyer with a successful white-collar practice".
However, Judge I. Leo Glasser barred Shargel and Bruce Cutler from representing, respectively, Gravano and Gotti, agreeing with prosecutors' assertion that the lawyers were "in-house counsel" to the Gambinos.
For example, in 2005, Murder Inc. record label owners Irv and Chris Gotti (who are no relation to his aforementioned client John) were acquitted on all charges, possibly partially due to the effect of his courtroom demeanor on the jury—as there were a number of lively exchanges between him and NYPD detective Anthony Castiglia during testimony.
[15][16][17] In 2012 Shargel defended hip hop mogul James "Jimmy Henchman" Rosemond, CEO of Czar Entertainment, in a federal trial in Brooklyn, New York, presided over by Judge Gleeson.
[18] Rosemond was convicted on all charges (including cocaine distribution, conspiracy, money laundering, firearms possession, and witness tampering),[18] and on October 25, 2013, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.