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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com JUNE 30, 2016 • THE COURIER SUN 11 Former Queens District Attorney John Santucci dies at 85 BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz John Santucci, whose 14 years as Queens district attorney were ultimately defi ned by a deadly hate crime in Howard Beach and public corruption cases, died on June 26 at the age of 85. Santucci succumbed to cardiac arrest at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola and was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. His grandson, ABC News reporter John Santucci Jr., confi rmed his death in a Tweet. “He was a great adviser who challenged us to always be thinking and was a great motivator,” Santucci Jr. told The Courier. The elder Santucci became Queens DA in 1977, when he was appointed to the post by then-Governor Hugh Carey after the previous prosecutor, Nicholas Ferraro, was appointed to a judicial seat. Santucci would be elected the following year and later re-elected three more times before retiring in 1991. A native of Queens born in 1931, Santucci graduated from Ozone Park‘s John Adams High School and Jamaica‘s St. John’s University Law School in 1953, after which he entered into private practice in Manhattan. Santucci became active in local politics as a member of the Democratic party. He served terms in the City Council and the state Senate before Carey appointed him as chief prosecutor of Queens. Soon after being elected to the offi ce the fi rst time, Santucci made unsuccessful bids to be elected as state attorney general and to a U.S. Senate seat. The district attorney was thrust into the national spotlight in 1986 following one of the nation’s most notorious hate crimes: the murder of Michael Griffi th, a black man who was attacked by a group of white teenagers in Howard Beach. The group assaulted Griffi th, then chased him on foot onto the Belt Parkway, where he was fatally struck by a car. The crime spurred demonstrations across the city and nation demanding that those responsible be brought to justice. According to The New York Times, Santucci recused himself from the case after two of the defendants and their attorneys accused his offi ce of trying to cover up evidence. Santucci denied the accusations but turned the case over to a special prosecutor, Charles J. Hynes, who would go on to secure manslaughter convictions against several of Griffi th’s attackers. Hynes would later become Brooklyn district attorney. That same year, Santucci prosecuted John A. Zaccaro, husband of former Congresswoman and vice presidential nominee Geraldine Photo courtesy of New York Daily News Former Queens District Attorney John Santucci Ferraro, and Judicial Administrator Francis X. Smith on charges that they allegedly tried to secure a bribe from a cable television company seeking to launch service in Queens. Zaccaro was acquitted of the charges, but Smith was convicted and served two months in prison. Even so, critics would charge Santucci as being soft on public corruption, especially in the wake of the bribery scandal surrounding then-Queens Borough President Donald Manes. Federal prosecutors would investigate Manes, who resigned from offi ce in February 1986 and committed suicide the following month before he could be charged with a crime. Santucci retired as Queens DA in 1991 and was replaced by Richard A. Brown, who remains in the post as the longest-serving chief prosecutor in the borough’s history. “I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my predecessor, John Santucci,” Brown said in a statement on Monday. “John spent his entire career in dedicated service to the people of Queens County, serving as a prosecutor, a member of the City Council and the State Senate, and fi nally as District Attorney. John’s wife, Edna, and their entire family remain in our thoughts and prayers.” Following his retirement, Santucci was active with a number of Queens organizations including Jamaica Hospital, where his brother, Thomas, heads the Cardiology Department, and the Metro Queens Boys & Girls Club. He also established a scholarship at Touro Law School. He resided in Garden City, but also spent much of his time at his second home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Santucci is survived by his wife of 62 years, Edna Ann; three sons; three daughters; two brothers; and 12 grandchildren. A wake for Santucci was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 28-29, at Fairchild Funeral Home in Garden City, with a Mass of Christian Burial scheduled for the morning of Thursday, June 29, at Garden City’s St. Ann’s Church. Victoria Schneps contributed to this report. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.40% 24-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking Plus account. Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile2 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. 1 New money only. APY effective May 10, 2016. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. 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