Authorities found Salvatore Strazzullo, known as the “nightlife lawyer,” dead in his car in Brooklyn on Saturday, according to the New York Post.

A notorious New York City lawyer known for high-profile cases, facing multiple criminal charges for allegedly defrauding elderly clients out of millions of dollars, has been found dead in his car. According to According to the New York Post, Strazzullo's legal career was as glamorous as it was scandalous.

Sal Strazzullo, the flamboyant New York “nightlife lawyer” who represented rappers and strippers, has been found dead at age 52. https://t.co/cLdFpVBGJD pic.twitter.com/Z5qBPij5Wb

— New York Post (@nypost) August 12, 2024

Strazzullo rose to prominence in 2012 when a New York Times cover story described her work on cases involving risqué nightlife behavior, in which she defended rapper Foxy Brown in 2011 and engineered an “underwear defense” in a case where she was accused of sticking out her buttocks to a neighbor, according to the Times.

Another client was exotic dancer Milana Dravnel, who sued him for trying to stop boxer Oscar De La Hoya from selling provocative photos of himself in women's underwear. Despite his fame, Strazzullo's career has been tainted by legal and ethical controversy. In 2011, he was sued for sexual harassment by former employee Desiree DeMartino, who accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior and other misconduct, The New York Post reported. (Related article: Harry Whittington, the Texas lawyer shot by Dick Cheney, dies at 95)

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez also accused Strazzullo of operating escrow accounts like a Ponzi scheme, misappropriating nearly $3.8 million from clients to support a lavish lifestyle, according to the New York Post. At the time of his death, Strazzullo had pleaded not guilty to grand larceny and conspiracy to defraud and was facing two major criminal charges.