As Portrayed By Russell Crowe
A consent disbarment accepted by the New Jersey Supreme Court involves an attorney with a Wikipedia page
Roberts was a former law enforcement officer who worked as a detective in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and Essex County Bureau of Narcotics. After completing a law degree at Seton Hall University and passing the bar examination, Roberts served as an Assistant Prosecutor in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Roberts is recognized for his role in the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of Harlem “drug kingpin” Frank Lucas, who operated a heroin smuggling and distribution ring in the New York City neighborhood. In addition to bringing down Lucas’s operation, Roberts’s investigation also uncovered police corruption connected with the drug trade.[citation needed] Lucas’s criminal enterprise and the investigation by Roberts was the subject of the 2007 film American Gangster, starring actor Denzel Washington (as Lucas) and Australian actor Russell Crowe (as Roberts). After Lucas was incarcerated, Roberts entered private practice as an attorney specializing in criminal defense, and was retained by Lucas as defense counsel.
In April 2017, Roberts pleaded guilty to tax crimes after an investigation against him by the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal division and investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
North Jersey.com reported on his sentencing
Richard “Richie” Roberts, the former Essex County assistant prosecutor famous for helping take down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas in the 1970s, was sentenced to three years’ probation Thursday for failing to pay his taxes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Roberts, 80, of Bloomfield, pleaded guilty in federal court in April to one count each of failing to pay payroll taxes and failing to pay personal income taxes, according to a statement from Craig Carpenito, the U.S. Attorney.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas sentenced Roberts to probation, 10 months of home confinement and 100 hours of community service, the statement said. Salas also ordered Roberts to pay $224,962 in restitution.
Roberts, whose law license is suspended, was represented by Lisa Mack, an assistant federal public defender. Neither Mack nor Roberts could be reached for comment Thursday.
Roberts was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 2007 film, “American Gangster,” which was a fictionalized account of his efforts to bring down Lucas. Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, led a massive heroin-smuggling operation from his Teaneck home until his 1975 arrest.
Roberts, a defense attorney who owned a Newark law practice, had not paid personal income taxes since at least 2000, the statement said. He also failed to pay payroll taxes from 2009 through 2011.
(Mike Frisch)