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Noted prosecutor Richard Gerstein diesMIAMI (AP - Richard E. Ger stein, who as a prosecutor helped tie the Watergate burglary to Richard Nixon's White House and as a private lawyer defended 'Tee-wee Herman on a morals charge, died Sunday He was f»8.Gerstein, who had a history of heart trouble, suffered cardiac arrest at home and was rushed by ambulance to Miami Heart Institute in Miami Beach. Angela Adams, a nursing supervisor there, said he was dead on arrival at 12:39 a.m. EST.For nearly four decades, the imposing Gerstein (he stood fi-foot-5) was a legal and political power both in front of and behind the scenes in I)adc County, Florida's most populous.He was elected state attorney for the Dade judicial district in 1956, and between him and his hand-picked successor, Janet Reno, no one else has held that post since.Ms. Reno, who also was Ger* stein's administrative assistant for several years, said his influence on her and others was far-reaching.He was committed to a criminal justice system that was fair. Ms. Reno said. He made an indelible mark on this community for almost half a century.Miami Beach Mayor Mayor Sy Gelber, also a former Gerstein administrative assistant, said Gerstein demanded the same dedica lion from his staff that he had,He had this concept that you were working for the state ... you had to have some fierce loyalty to your job,” Gelber said. “He would call upon you for everything, anytime. anywhere Because he was ready to do it He was a General Patton type.Gerstein went into private practice in 1978 but kept his political ties both in Tallahassee and close to home. Ilia endorsement was important to anyone running for judge in Miami.Gerstein was perhaps best known nationally for winning the first conviction in the Watergate case. His office linked Nixon re-election funds to Bernard Barker, one of four Miami-based Watergate burglars, who was found guilty of a money laundering charge.A New- York Times article later noted that it was an investigation conducted by Mr. Gerstein that uncovered direct links between the Watergate burglars and the Nixon White House...(Coincidentally, the former president was also brought to Miami Heart Institute during the night, in an unrelated medical emer gency. Ms. Adams said Nixon was treated for a sprained ankle and released. She had no other de tails.)In private practice. Gerstein last year negotiated an agreement in which comedian Paul Reubens, television's Pce-wee Herman,' pleaded no contest to indecent exposure charges and may avoid a criminal record.Gerstein, a native of Pittsburgh, was a navigator with the Eighth Air Force in World War II He lost his right eye to enemy fire in a bombing raid over Germany, and won the Distinguished Flying Cross for guiding his crippled bomber home to England despite his wounds.He graduated from the University of Miami I-aw School in 1949 and went into private practice be fore getting involved in politics.Survivors include his wife. Car ole Services have been scheduled for 2:30 p.m Tuesday at Temple Israel in Miami Beach
Newspaper Details
Northwest Florida Daily News
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, US
Mon, Apr 27, 1992
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Ronald S.
USA 14 Apr 2017
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