By Frank Parlato
Another Attorney for Raniere
Danielle Renee Smith has joined the legal team for Keith Raniere, which already includes Paul DerOhannesian II, of Albany, NY, and Marc Agnifilo, Jacob Kaplan and Teny Rose Geragos of New York City. The latter three are with the law firm of famed NYC lawyer Ben Brafman. That means that Raniere now has enough lawyers to form a basketball team — and a co-ed one to boot!
But Raniere can consult with his attorneys only when they visit him at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. There are rooms there where detained defendants can meet with their attorneys but there may not be one big enough to hold him and his entire legal team. It’s a cumbersome process for busy lawyers used to having clients come to them to go to the prison, pass security, wait for the prisoner, and then see him under highly guarded and uncomfortable settings.
Had Raniere not fled to Mexico – he might have had a chance at bail. Given the charges he’s facing, however — and the allegation that he’s a danger to the community – he might have been denied anyway.
He went from a $10,000 per week villa in Puerto Vallarta to a free prison cell in Brooklyn. That’s Executive Success at its best.
Keith Raniere chose to go to Mexico while the FBI was investigating his crime syndicate. He was arrested in Mexico and deported to the USA. The photo above is not Raniere, but it is true that at some point he was transferred from Mexican to US custody, not unlike what is depicted in this photograph.
His latest lawyer, Danielle Renee Smith, began her career as a law clerk to Magistrate Judge Victor E. Bianchini. In March 2011, she transitioned into a new position as a staff attorney for the Northern District of New York. In 2013, after over four years with Federal Courts, Danielle joined the law firm of DerOhannesian & DerOhannesian as an associate attorney. She is primarily responsible for assisting the principal attorney, Paul DerOhannesian II, in researching and drafting motions, legal memoranda, and appellate briefs concerning criminal and civil litigation matters.
Danielle has appeared in federal courts in the Northern and Southern Districts of New York. And with her latest client, she’s making her first appearance in the Eastern district of New York.
