NAFUSA members Jay Stephens and George Terwilliger presented the flag flown over the Department of Justice in honor of Earl Silbert to his family members. The longtime NAFUSA member and president 1985-1986 passed away on September 6, 2022. The flag was presented to Earl’s wife, Pat, and his daughter, Leslie, on Friday, December 2, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
NAFUSA Board of Directors Member, Deborah Gilg passed away on November 16, 2022, after a short but courageous battle with colon cancer. She was 70.
Deborah was appointed by President Obama in 2009 as the United States Attorney for
Nebraska, the first woman to hold this position, and served until her retirement from the
Department of Justice in 2017. During her tenure she served on numerous Committees under Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, including serving as Chair of the Federal Task Force on Violence Against Native American Women. She was instrumental in that role in securing federal resources for the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and sexual assault cases against Native American Women.
After leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Deborah became even more active in community engagement in her home state of Nebraska. She founded the organization Fearless, Fierce, and Forward to provide women with empowerment training in the areas of gender pay parity, negotiation skills, surviving domestic violence and professional development. She also served in leadership positions with the Nebraska Jail Standards Board for 24 years, having been appointed by 5 different governors. She joined the adjunct faculty at the University of Nebraska College of Law, her alma mater, and later served as adjunct faculty at the Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law at Arizona State University.
Among her many honors and awards were the Nebraska Bar Foundation’s Outstanding Public Service Award and the Nebraska Women’s Bar Association’s Outstanding Contribution to Women in the Law Award. She was a lifetime Nebraska Bar Foundation Fellow and a member of the Nebraska, Iowa, and Colorado Bar Associations. She loved to travel, was a talented pianist and devoted mother and grandmother.
According to colleague and former NAFUSA Board member Barry Grissom, in addition to these achievements, Deborah was a backup singer to Kenny Rogers and participated in the Alaska Iditarod on several occasions, riding in portions of the race. She was also the County Coroner for Keich County, Nebraska.
He added that Deborah, who was a strong supporter of breaking glass ceilings, on one occasion, when the selection of a new leader was being discussed at a Midwest HIDTA meeting, pointed out, “I don’t play golf with you, I’m not in the good ole boy club, but if you want someone to lead who has experience, I’m your person.” At that point the U.S. Attorney from Kansas responded, “If that’s a motion, I second it.” The motion passed.
Deborah is survived by her husband of 46 years, Dan; her daughters Colleen and Nicole; her son Greg; and six grandchildren. If you would like to offer condolences, Dan can be reached at gilgd0415@gmail.com or 16607 Harney Street, Omaha NB 68118.
In keeping with NAFUSA tradition, a flag will be flown over the Department of Justice in her honor.
Former NAFUSA member Charles (“Chuck”) W. Larson, Sr. passed away on Thursday November 3, 2022. He was 87. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Ellen Larson and two children, Charles W. Larson, Jr. and Carrie Larson Graham.
Chuck was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and reappointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa from 1986 to 1993. In 2001, President George W. Bush reappointed him to the U.S. Attorney position where he served until his retirement in 2006. In 2004 he took a leave of absence from this position to serve as Senior Justice Advisor to the U.S.
Ambassador to Iraq, at the United States Embassy in Baghdad. Chuck was a graduate of the United States Army War College and the United States Army Command and General Staff College. He served in the United States Army Reserve for 33 years.
Chuck earned his juris doctor degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and his Bachelor of Science Degree from Kansas State University. A private service with military honors was held on Friday, November 11, in his hometown of Princeton, Illinois. In keeping with NAFUSA tradition, a flag was flown over the Department of Justice in his honor.
Benjamin Civiletti, the seventy-third Attorney General of the United States, died on October 16, 2022. Mr. Civiletti graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1961 with an LLB degree. After clerking for Federal District Judge Calvin Chestnut, he became an Assistant United States Attorney in Baltimore, Maryland for two years before entering the private practice of law. Prior to being sworn in as Attorney General during the Carter administration upon the resignation of Attorney General Griffin Bell, Mr. Civiletti headed the Criminal Division until being nominated for Deputy Attorney General in May 1978. He was sworn in as Attorney General on August 16, 1979. As Attorney General he argued before the International Court of Justice on behalf of Americans being held captive in Iran during the Iran Hostage crisis and before the Supreme Court in support of the government’s right to denaturalize Nazi war criminals in Fedorenko v. U.S.
Mr. Civiletti was Chairman Emeritus and retired partner in the law firm Venable LLP in Washington, D.C. until his death at the age of 87. He is survived by his wife, Gaile and their three children.
On September 9, 2022, Tom Delahanty’s former U.S. Attorney colleagues, Eric Miller, Rick Hartunian, Emily Rice, Carmen Ortiz and John Kacavas, presented the American flag flown over the Department of Justice in observance of Tom’s passing on April 12, 2021, to his wife, Ruth, and son Patrick. (See April 15, 2021, article about Tom Delahanty’s passing and remembering his outstanding career on the NAFUSA website.) The group enjoyed lunch on the Boston waterfront remembering Tom’s wit, wisdom, good humor, and devoted service.
Above is a photo of Tom with his wife and U.S. Attorney colleagues at a Northern Border Conference in Lake Placid, N.Y. in September, 2011.
Long time NAFUSA member and president 1985-1986, Earl J. Sibert died on September 6, 2022, near his vacation home in New Hampshire. He was 86. In 1972, Mr. Silbert, then a 36-year-old Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., led the federal prosecution of defendants in the botched Watergate burglary. He and a team of two other AUSAs and FBI agents secured the convictions of all five burglars and two of the planners of the break-in, E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy. All defendants
except Mr. Liddy and James McCord pleaded guilty shortly after the trial began in January 1973. Mr. Silbert earned the title “Earl the Pearl,” for his polished manner during the case. After the trial, Mr. Silbert and his team met with others involved in the break in and cover up and later provided that information, along with names of potential targets, to Archibald Cox, who had been appointed Watergate Special Prosecutor.
Mr. Silbert obtained his Bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard University in 1957 and went on to earn a law degree from Harvard in 1960. He began working for the Department of Justice’s Tax Division right out of law school before becoming an AUSA for five years in the Washington D.C. U.S. Attorneys Office. He returned to the Justice Department in 1969, briefly, before returning to the U.S. Attorneys Office in 1970. He became Interim U.S. Attorney in 1974 when his predecessor left because of illness.
Mr. Silbert was first nominated for the permanent position by President Nixon and later renominated by President Gerald Ford. He was finally confirmed by the Senate in October 1975 and served until 1979 when he left the office to enter private practice. He gained a national reputation for his white collar defense practice, representing, among others, former Attorney General Bell and Kenneth Lay, former chairman and CEO of Enron.
A flag was flown over the Department of Justice on September 15, 2022, in Mr. Silbert’s honor and will be presented to his family by NAFUSA member George Terwilliger at a memorial service to be held in October.
Former United States Attorney and lifetime NAFUSA member William (Bill) Hyslop died September 11,2022, at the age of 71. Bill, a Spokane native, was born on March 22, 1951, and spent more than 40 years practicing law in Eastern Washington. He was the only person to serve two separate terms as the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Washington. He was nominated in 1991 by President H.W. Bush and served until 1993, returning to the Spokane based office of Lukins & Clinton, where he was a principal. He later served under President Trump from 2019 to 2021. He is quoted as saying that “serving our great Country as the United States Attorney has been the highest honor and most fulfilling duty of my professional career.”
Bill obtained his bachelor’s degree from Washington State University and earned his law degree from the Gonzaga University School of Law. During his career, he actively supported the legal profession, including serving as president of the Washington State Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Washington. He took great pride in serving on the board of the Legal Foundation of Washington, a nonprofit providing funds for civil legal services for low-income residents. Bill was a friend and supporter of law enforcement, recognizing the important work they do. Following his service as U.S. Attorney, he became a founding Board member of the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education (“SAFE”).
A flag was flown over the Department of Justice on September 15, 2022, in Bill’s honor, and, in the tradition of NAFUSA, will be presented to his family.
Andrew J. Maloney, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and
former NAFUSA member, passed away on August 15, 2022, at the age of 90. He served as the U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn from 1986 to 1992, where he successfully tried the case that sent Mafia boss John Gotti to prison for murder and racketeering. He personally delivered the prosecution’s opening statement and one of its summations. During his tenure, the office obtained convictions against powerful New York politicians, including Mel Miller, and reputed bosses of the Lucchese and Bonanno crime families. Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and NAFUSA member, Mary Jo White, worked as his deputy prior to becoming U.S. Attorney in Manhattan. She praised her former boss for understanding “the impact of the power that prosecutors wield and how really important it is to keep your humility and your moral compass about that.”
Mr. Maloney graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1954
and later served with the Army Rangers. After leaving the military he attended Fordham
University Law School at night and, after graduating in 1961, served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York for over a decade. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York in 1986.
Current EDNY U.S. Attorney Breon Peace gave a statement mourning the passing of Mr. Maloney, describing him as having a “…passion for doing justice, a toughness honed as a boxer at West Point and Army Ranger, and supreme confidence in his prosecutors that resulted in amazing work during his tenure.”
A mass for Mr. Mahoney was held on August 22, 2022, honoring his life and his service
which was attended by many former U.S. Attorneys and federal prosecutors, including his son, Andrew. As is NAFUSA custom, a flag was flown over the Department of Justice in Mr. Mahoney’s honor and will be presented to his family.
Gustave Diamond, 93, former United States District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania and who served as the United States Attorney for the District (1963-1969) passed away at his home in McMurray, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 30, 2021.
Judge Diamond attended Duke University on a football scholarship. He left Duke in 1946 to join the United States Navy, serving until 1948. Upon discharge from military service, he returned to Duke to finish his education under the GI Bill, graduated in 1951, and then worked at J&L Steel for one year before beginning night classes at Duquesne University School of Law.
After graduating from Duquesne in 1956, Judge Diamond served as a law clerk to federal Judge Rabe F. Marsh until 1961. Following his clerkship, he joined the United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Pennsylvania as an Assistant United States Attorney and then First Assistant. He was appointed the United States Attorney for this District in February 1963, serving for a time under U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and he remained in that office until June 1969. He subsequently was in private practice in Pittsburgh and Washington County until 1978.
President Jimmy Carter appointed Diamond to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in 1978, and he later served as Chief Judge of the Court for two years. One of the most highly publicized cases he presided over was United States v. Curtis Strong, tried in 1985, which involved the sale of cocaine to well-known Major League Baseball players, who had been granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for their testimony. The case attracted national interest, and the courtroom was filled to capacity for every court session, with half reserved for members of news media from around the country who covered the proceedings. Judge Diamond assumed Senior Judge status in 1994, and he maintained a full criminal case docket until his retirement on January 24, 2017.
During his 39 years on the bench, Judge Diamond was especially proud to have chaired the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on Defender Services for five years. He also was extremely honored to have received the Century Club award as one of Duquesne University’s 100 outstanding graduates of its first century, the prestigious Solon Award of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association in 1993, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1998, and the Robert E. Dauer Award for Judicial Excellence given by Amen Corner in 2012.
Judge Diamond relished his time serving as a federal district judge and often commented that there was never a day that he was not happy to go to work. He made an indelible mark on the legal community in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, inspiring all who were fortunate enough to have worked with him as a colleague, served as one of his law clerks, tried cases before him, interacted with him in the courthouse, or knew him as a friend.
Funeral service will be held at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, 123 Gilkeson Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, 10-11AM. As is our custom, NAFUSA will request that an American flag be flown over Main Justice in Judge Diamond’s honor. It will be presented to his family as a token of the esteem with which he was held by his colleagues.
Judge Diamond is shown below with Attorney General Holder and NAFUSA member David Hickton (WD PA 2010-2016) who clerked for Judge Diamond (1981-1983)
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