Matthew McDermott
A former president becoming the first in US history to be convicted of felony crimes, a mayor charged with taking bribes and an alleged assassin with legions of twisted fans.
They and other high-profile figures took center stage during a dizzying and dramatic year in New York’s courts — as The Post was there to chronicle every gripping moment.
Here are just seven of the most dramatic scenes to unfold in city courthouses in 2024:
7. Ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani erupts in court where he was once lionized
Rudy Giuliani shot to fame as a crusading US Attorney in Manhattan federal court, where he pioneered aggressive mob prosecutions in the 1980s.
But the former New York City mayor in November blew an epic fuse in the very same district, after a federal judge brought up his legendary past.
Giuliani, 80, erupted as District Judge Lewis Liman grilled him over why he had not turned over the title to his 1980 Mercedes convertible to two Georgia election workers he’s been found liable of defaming after the 2020 presidential election.
“Your client is a competent person. He was the US Attorney in this district,” Liman said, addressing Giuliani’s lawyer.
“The notion that he can’t apply for a title certificate,” he continued — before Giuliani cut him off.
“I did apply for it!” Giuliani pleaded. “What am I supposed to do, make it up myself?
“Every implication that you’ve made is against me!”
A trial over whether Giuliani will be forced to give up his Florida apartment and Yankees World Series rings to the Georgia election workers is set for Jan. 16, 2025.
6. Disgraced NJ Sen. Bob Menendez blames his wife for gold bar bribes
Former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s bribery trial revealed a lot about the disgraced Democrat — including his taste for swigging Cognac in his yard and dining at the Garden State’s swankiest eateries.
But perhaps the most memorable moment of the Manhattan federal court case came during opening statements, where the then-senator blamed his own wife for the gold bars FBI agents found in their home.
The veteran lawmaker’s lawyer, Avi Weitzman, claimed to jurors that the “dazzling, tall” Nadine Menendez “sidelined” her hubby and stashed away the treasure without his knowledge.
But the “blame-my-wife” legal strategy did not work.
Menendez was convicted in July of pocketing the gold bars, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a Mercedes, in exchange for wielding his influence to benefit three New Jersey businessmen and the governments of Qatar and Egypt.
5. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs hit with bombshell indictment alleging he orchestrated sick ‘freak-offs’
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ indictment unsealed in September marked an epic fall from grace for a man once considered to be the most powerful mogul in the music industry.
Combs — who was ordered to cool his heels at Brooklyn’s troubled Metropolitan Detention Center until his May 2025 trial — pleaded not guilty to racketeering and sex trafficking charges at his Manhattan federal court arraignment.
According to the feds, the über-wealthy “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper ran his label, Bad Boy Records, as a criminal enterprise, with himself as the kingpin, for more than a decade.
Court papers accuse him of abusing, threatening and coercing women “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
The indictment — which echoed allegations made by Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a civil suit filed a year earlier — describes so-called “freak-offs,” days-long sexual performances in which Combs allegedly forced his lovers to have sex with male prostitutes while he watched.
4. Daniel Penny beats the rap in fatal subway chokehold of Jordan Neely
Manhattan prosecutors admitted at the start of Daniel Penny’s trial in October that it “won’t be easy” to convict the Marine veteran of “recklessly” choking mentally ill homeless man Jordan Neely to death on the subway.
But it was still stunning to see just how quickly the Long Island native went from facing up to 15 years in prison to being cleared of all charges.
First, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office took the drastic step late on a Friday of moving to toss the top charge of manslaughter after jurors twice said they couldn’t agree on a verdict.
The decision was made in the hope that jurors would convict on the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide.
Instead, the 12 Manhattanites quickly acquitted Penny, 26, when they resumed deliberations after the weekend.
As the jury forewoman read out the words “not guilty,” Penny — who had sat stone-faced for most of the four-week trial — broke out a huge smile.
His supporters erupted in applause, prompting anger from Neely’s devastated father, Andre Zachary, who court officers ended up escorting out of the room.
“It really, really hurts,” Zachary told reporters afterward. “I had enough of this. The system is rigged.”
3. Mayor Eric Adams, ex-cop who ran on fighting crime, charged with corruption
Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD police captain, promised New Yorkers during his 2021 campaign that he would crack down on crime, which skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The feds confronted him in September, however, with alleged crimes of his own to answer for — and Adams became the first New York City mayor to be charged with a federal crime while in office.
Prosecutors allege he took luxury travel perk bribes from Turkish nationals — and returned the favor by pressuring officials to fast-track the opening of Manhattan’s Turkish consulate building.
He’s also charged with defrauding taxpayers by welcoming phony campaign donations from Turks that were “matched” by city funds.
Adams has denied criminal wrongdoing. His trial has been scheduled for May 21, 2025, smack in the middle of his re-election campaign.
2. Luigi Mangione faces bizarre helipad ‘perp walk’ — and matches sweaters with lawyer
Everyone seemingly wants a piece of Luigi Mangione, the Ivy League university graduate charged with executing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in cold blood on a Midtown sidewalk in December.
Hours before the 26-year-old Maryland native was set to appear in Manhattan state court — where he’s charged with murder as an “act of terrorism” — the feds swooped in with their own case.
A small army of automatic rifle-bearing NYPD officers, FBI agents — and even the mayor — paraded Mangione in front of the media as they escorted him out of a police helicopter after he was extradited to New York City from Pennsylvania.
Days after he made a brief appearance in Manhattan federal court, cops led Mangione down a state courthouse hallway for yet another camera-ready perp walk in the district attorney’s case.
The accused killer strode into Manhattan Supreme Court clad in a maroon sweater over a white collared shirt, which matched the similarly layered sweater fit of his lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
He has pleaded not guilty. His next hearing in state court is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2025.
1. Donald Trump convicted in historic ‘hush money’ case after Stormy Daniels showdown
President-elect Donald Trump was convicted by a Manhattan jury in May on 34 felony counts of fudging business records to cover up a payoff to former porn star Stormy Daniels.
The historic verdict followed a wild, seven-week trial that saw X-rated testimony from Daniels, who described an alleged brief sexual encounter with Trump as he sat fuming at the defense table in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Jurors at the infamous “hush money” trial struggled to keep a straight face as Daniels — talking fast and gesturing wildly — described spanking Trump with a rolled-up magazine that had his face on the cover.
The salacious quip caused Trump to reportedly turn to his lawyers and say, “That’s bulls–t,” — and drew a rebuke from the judge, who warned the ex-president about “audibly cursing” in front of jurors.
But polling consistently showed that the voters did not care about the outcome of the case — which Trump ripped as a “politically motivated” bid to beat him in the courts rather than at the ballot.
And in November, America sent a convicted felon to the White House for the first time in history.
Trump’s lawyers have urged the trial judge to throw out the conviction in light of his election, and have vowed to appeal the verdict.
Happy New Year — and see you back in court in 2025.
— Additional reporting by Kyle Schnitzer and Matt Troutman