John M. Ryan

Last updated
Barbara
​
(m. 1970)​
Jack Ryan
Acting Queens County District Attorney
In office
May 4, 2019 –December 31, 2019
Education St. John's University (BA, JD)

John Michael Ryan (born 1949) is an American lawyer from New York who served as acting Queens County District Attorney. Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, he attended St. John's University and its law school. Joining the Queens District Attorney's office as an intern in 1972, he worked there before joining the state attorney general's office, where he led the investigation of the Tawana Brawley rape allegations. Shortly after the appointment of Richard Brown in 1991, he returned to Queens, serving in the District Attorney's office for the next 28 years.

Contents

In 2019, Brown, who had earlier announced his planned resignation due to health reasons, died, and Ryan, then chief assistant district attorney, was sworn in in an acting capacity. He remained in that position for eight months, until Melinda Katz assumed office, after which he retired.

Early life and family

Childhood and education

Ryan was born in 1949 in Brooklyn to Florence (née Rafferty; 1908–1988) and John Patrick Ryan (1902–1958). [1] [2] He grew up on Long Island and attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens. [3] He then entered St. John's University, from which he graduated with a degree in political science in 1970. [4] He graduated from St. John's University School of Law in 1974. [1] [5]

Personal life

Ryan married his wife, Barbara, in 1970. They have three children: two daughters and a son. He is an avid New York Mets fan. [1] [3]

The Queens County Courts Building in Kew Gardens, where the Queens District Attorney's Office is located Queens Bl 83rd Hoover Avs td (2020-10-17) 04 - Queens County Criminal Court.jpg
The Queens County Courts Building in Kew Gardens, where the Queens District Attorney's Office is located

Ryan began his career as an intern in the Queens District Attorney's office in June 1972. On his graduation from law school, he was hired as a criminal investigator and then as an assistant district attorney when he was admitted to the bar in February 1975. He was the prosecutor in charge of investigating the 1975 LaGuardia Airport bombing and, in 1977, participated in the arraignment of serial killer David Berkowitz. In 1978, he investigated and assisted in the prosecution of FALN member William Morales on weapons charges. [6] In 1979, shortly after being promoted to Deputy Chief of the Homicide Investigations Bureau, he resigned to serve as an assistant state attorney general under Robert Abrams. [1]

While with the Attorney General's Office, Ryan worked as Chief of the Tax Division of the Special Prosecutions Bureau, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau and then Assistant Attorney General-In-Charge of the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau. He had various special assignments including serving as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in both the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. In 1988, after Abrams was appointed special prosecutor in the Tawana Brawley case by Mario Cuomo, Ryan was designated to lead the grand jury investigation. [7] [8] [9] [1] In this capacity, he frequently drew the ire of Al Sharpton, who likened him to a storm trooper and falsely accused him of kicking a blind man in a scuffle with demonstrators. [10] [11]

After Richard Brown was appointed to head the Queens District Attorney's Office in 1991, following John J. Santucci's resignation, Ryan returned to work there. Ryan was appointed Chief Assistant District Attorney in 1997, second-in-command to Brown, a position he would stay in for 22 years. [1]

On March 7, 2019, Brown announced he would step down for health reasons on June 1 and designated Ryan as his successor. [12] [13] [6] Ryan took office early when Brown died in May. [14] A political independent, Ryan defended his office amid criticism raised during that year's District Attorney election campaign from criminal justice reform advocates. [15] [16] He clashed with the eventual election winner, borough president Melinda Katz, on her decision to eliminate cash bail, joining with Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon to criticize the move. [17] He retired after Katz took office at the beginning of 2020. [18]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Acting District Attorney John M. Ryan Biography". Queens District Attorney's Office. June 2019. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Death Notices". Newsday . August 29, 1988. p. 33 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "The 2013 Irish Law & Order 50 list: John (Jack) Ryan". The Irish Echo . 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Centennial Commencement, St. John's University, New York". St. John's University. June 1970. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  5. ↑ "One Hundred And Fourth Commencement, St. John's University, New York". St. John's University. June 1974. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Russell, David (March 14, 2019). "Brown stepping down on June 1". Queens Chronicle . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  7. ↑ Shipp, E. R. (August 5, 1988). "'Final Opportunity' To Testify Is Offered To Tawana Brawley". The New York Times . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Decade After Tawana Brawley Episode, Trial Looms". The Washington Post . November 17, 1997. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  9. ↑ Bruni, Frank (April 5, 1998). "Mourning a Son Tied to the Brawley Case". The New York Times . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  10. ↑ Kurtz, Howard (July 14, 1988). "Al Sharpton, Into The Maelstrom". The Washington Post . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  11. ↑ Stevens, Stuart (June 3, 2013). "Al Sharpton's Long Bill of Goods, From Tawana Brawley to Primetime". The Daily Beast . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  12. ↑ Parry, Bill (March 7, 2019). "Meet John Ryan, the acting Queens District Attorney taking the reins from Richard A. Brown". QNS . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ Denney, Andrew (March 8, 2019). "John Ryan, Who Will Serve as Acting DA in Queens, Pledges to 'Keep Doing Justice'". New York Law Journal . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Longtime Queens District Attorney Richard Brown Dies At 86". CBS New York . May 4, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  15. ↑ Brand, David (October 7, 2019). "Acting Queens DA John Ryan will step down when next DA takes office". Queens Daily Eagle . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  16. ↑ Goldiner, Dave (May 29, 2019). "Richard Brown successor lashes out at 'vile' remarks by ghoulish campaign volunteer for Tiffany Caban". New York Daily News . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  17. ↑ Durkin, Erin (November 21, 2019). "Bail reforms divide current and incoming Queens district attorneys". Politico . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  18. ↑ Ourso, Caroline (December 16, 2019). "ADAs honor outgoing Acting DA John Ryan at holiday party". Queens Daily Eagle . Retrieved November 5, 2021.
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