Onondaga County attorney disbarred after federal convictions

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The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court, Fourth Department, has disbarred an Onondaga County attorney convicted of federal crimes.

The attorney, Joseph B. Gerardi, was admitted to practice law in January 1987.

In October 2018, the Grievance Committee of the Fifth Judicial District informed the Fourth Department that, in July 2018, Gerardi was convicted, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, of three felony counts: wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and knowingly making a materially false statement to a federal official.

Gerardi was co-owner and general counsel of a real estate development company when he conspired with several others to engage in bid-rigging to obtain development contracts.

He allegedly conspired with a government representative to draft requests for proposals that afforded an unfair advantage to respondent’s company.

Gerardi also was accused of making false statements to federal officials during a proffer session related to the government’s investigation of the bid-rigging scheme.

In November 2018, the Fourth Department determined that Gerardi had been convicted of a “serious crime,” suspended him from the practice of law on an interim basis, and directed him to show why a final order of discipline should not be entered.

Gerardi’s attorney subsequently informed the Court that the District Court sentenced Gerardi to a $500,000 fine, plus 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.

Gerardi appealed the federal convictions and ultimately the Supreme Court of the United States vacated the fraud convictions.

On remand, the Second Circuit affirmed the conviction for knowingly making a materially false statement to a federal official.

After the government announced its intention to retry the wire fraud counts, Gerardii resolved those charges in December 2025 by pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a federal felony.

In December 2025, the District Court resentenced Gerardi to time served and imposed a $500,000 fine.

“In determining an appropriate sanction, we have considered respondent’s submissions in mitigation, including his expression of remorse and numerous written statements of support from family members, colleagues, and members of his community attesting to his good character,” the court wrote.

“However, we conclude that the relevant aggravating factors far outweigh the relevant mitigating factors,” the panel wrote.

“The record indicates that respondent used his legal skills, at least in part, to rig bids and secure taxpayer-funded construction projects for his company totaling approximately $105 million,” the court wrote.

“Accordingly, after consideration of all of the factors in this matter, we conclude that respondent should be disbarred,” the court ruled.

BLoudon@BridgeTowerMedia / (585) 232-2035