NJ.com True Jersey reported on April 4, 2017, that Frederick B. Lacey, former U.S.

Frederick Lacey

Attorney for the District of New Jersey, died at 96 at home in Naples, Florida. Lacey was appointed by President Nixon in 1969 and only served one year before Nixon appointed him to the federal bench, where he served for 14 years.

NJcom True Jersey reports that

Lacey,…, quickly rose to prominence in his short tenure as the state’s top federal law enforcement official. With [NAFUSA member] Herbert J. Stern, who would succeed him as U.S. Attorney and also become a federal judge, Lacey and his office successfully prosecuted Newark Mayor Hugh J. Addonizio–who was linked at trial to mob boss Ruggerio “Richie the Boot” Boiardo–and the Hudson County Democratic powerbroker John V. Kenny.

“He was one of the state’s most prominent attorneys and he put his entire reputation on the line,” remembered Stern, recounting the extensive corruption in New Jersey and the speed at which Lacey went after it in a succession of high-profile trials.

“In a twinkling of an eye, the state changed,” Stern said.