We told you earlier today that Norm and Laurie Coleman have hired separate lawyers in connection with the FBI investigation into the Nasser Kazeminy allegations.
And here’s a bit more evidence that the pair are taking the allegations very seriously indeed:
According to a recent St. Paul Pioneer-Press report (via Nexis), Laurie Coleman’s attorney, Earl Gray, is “known as an aggressive defender of celebrity defendants.” In other words, Gray doesn’t appear to be the kind of lawyer you hire if you don’t think you’re going to be under much scrutiny.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the high-profile cases Gray has been retained for (all sourced to news reports found via Nexis):
– the “Love Boat” case, in which then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, was charged with sexual misconduct stemming from his conduct during a 2005 team boat ride.
– a case earlier this year involving star University of Minnesota football player Dominic Jones, who was accused of rape, and eventually convicted of unwanted sexual conduct, in an incident captured on a cellphone video.
– a city council member who pleaded guilty last month to hiring a prostitute.
– a teacher accused this year of having sex with a 14-year-old student.
– a widely publicized 1984 child-sex ring case.
And despite his name, Earl Gray may not be every prosecutor’s cup of tea (sorry!). The Star-Tribune described him in 2006 as “a street-fighter in the courtroom whose aggressive, even abrasive legal tactics can leave prosecutors bruised and bitter.”
The paper added:
‘He aggressively attacks police and prosecutors for perceived mistakes in a criminal investigation,’ said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom … ‘He is very good at creating smoke screens out of nothing.’ Fred Karasov, an assistant Hennepin County attorney who has successfully tried cases against Gray, said he ‘can be intimidating, aggressive, some would call him abrasive.’
Laurie Coleman is central to the allegations involving her husband. A lawsuit claims that Kazeminy used a company he owns, Deep Marine Technologies, to pass money to Norm Coleman, by making payments to the insurance broker, Hays Insurance, that employs Laurie Coleman.
And we hear that Norm Coleman’s lawyer, Doug Kelley, is no wilting flower either. More to come on him, most likely…