Part 3: An Independent Thinker Charting Her Own Course

Q & A with NiaLena Caravasos, Esq.

Editor’s Note. US Daily Review recently interviewed one of the country’s leading criminal defense attorneys about her very unique approach to the law. She is known for providing a “holistic” and very empathetic approach. Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business show and Editor at Large for US Daily Review, has interviewed NiaLena Caravasos several times and calls her “a true thought leader when it comes to the law and an innovator in the area of federal criminal defense and white collar crime.” US Daily Review is delighted to explore the important work and approach of NiaLena Caravasos in this three part series of questions and answers with our editorial team.

What motivates people to commit white collar crimes?

Well, the answer to that is actually very complex. And that’s what makes it important. Many people mistakenly think that white collar crime, which is a term used for economic crime, is motivated by greed or ambition. While that may be true in part, the reality is that many people who commit white collar crime do so because they fall through the rabbit hole and get caught up in situations that they did not anticipate and that spiral out of control. And if someone takes the time to explore beyond the obvious, many times the catalysts for those situations are driven by vulnerabilities stemming from psychological challenges, mental health issues, medical problems, family circumstances, life circumstances, unresolved childhood trauma, despair and desperation, and the list goes on. In my practice, I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients and learning about every aspect of their lives so as to try and understand how and why they fell down the rabbit hole. Doing so enables me to really develop a profoundly strong relationship with my clients and to be able to then figure out how to best develop their unique circumstances in a way that is legally acceptable and supported by expert testimony so as to try and extricate them and/or greatly reduce the damage from what occurred and that has drawn them into the crosshairs of the federal government.

What do you consider to be the defining case of your career?

The Merlino mob trial in Philadelphia that lasted for several months in federal court. It was early on in my career in private practice that I began representing my client, alleged made member of the La Cosa Nostra (LCN) Frank Gambino, two years before the case actually went to trial because there were multiple superseding indictments and more serious charges were added, including racketeering (RICO) and violent crimes. I was the youngest lawyer and the only woman, which was not uncommon in a male- dominated field, representing an alleged mafia member and my client was much older than the other defendants and was close to 70 years old, so we were like the odd couple. Most of the other lawyers were part of the “old boys network” and underestimated me as a young woman, so I let them. I bided my time and let them fall into a sense of complacency over the many months during which we were on trial. In the meantime, I sat there analyzing every bit of government evidence and running numerical calculations on the audio surveillance and the video surveillance and the photographs and the sightings and all of the testimony being admitted in various forms about all of the defendants. With my Wharton background and having been one of only six women accepted to MIT, I had inherited my Dad’s talents as an aerospace engineer and so numbers were my strong suit. So at the end of many months, I had numerous charts and tables that I was able to discuss with the jury in an effort to not just tell them but to actually show them how the evidence just didn’t add up in reference to my client and how he, unlike the others, was hardly anywhere and hardly did anything for the alleged money-making organization of the mafia. Instead of following the mob (no pun intended), I stood up during my closing argument and went my own way and separated my client from the others in a factual and methodical manner, showing with evidence where the missing links were and how the equations did not add up. Other attorneys representing the other defendants were very angry with me because it hurt their clients. Of course, that was not my intention to hurt anyone. But I was going to protect my client no matter what because that is why I am a shield for my clients and why clients need to have their own lawyers who will look out for their best interests as opposed to the best interests of others. In the end, my client was acquitted of RICO and all violent crimes and was the first to be released from prison and was able to return to his life in South Philadelphia until he passed away from natural causes. It is during this case that I developed the reputation of being a maverick, so to speak, and going my own way regardless of what anybody else thinks. And that reputation has traveled with me throughout the decades since then.

What kind of cases of yours do you consider the most successful?

The ones that the world never knows about. Of course, going to court with someone and advocating on their behalf and achieving a successful outcome is fantastic. But the most successful cases are those that never even get to court. And that’s because the client had the foresight to come to me early on when a problem first developed and sometimes before even being approached by federal law enforcement, thereby giving me the opportunity to mold the case and work with the client in a way so as address the issues that put them in the crosshairs of the feds and try to prevent charges from even being filed. With that kind of outcome comes anonymity and preservation of reputation for the client so that the person is truly left completely unscathed by the experience and therefore 100% able to return to a good life without the risk of any loss. When someone can go forward like that, that is the ultimate success.

If you could write your own epitaph, what would you want it to say?

“She Made A Difference And Did It Her Way.”

NiaLena Caravasos is the only Philadelphia criminal defense attorney to be featured twice on the Super Lawyers cover – once in the Philadelphia Magazine and in a cover story entitled “Fierce” and again on the cover and cover story of the 20th Anniversary Super Lawyers edition. She has been repeatedly recognized in the Top 100 and Top 50 Women Super Lawyers lists and was also featured on the cover and cover story of CIO Women Magazine as a “Pioneer of Female Leadership in Male-Dominated Criminal Defense.” She was also honored by the international nonprofit project “Inspirational People” that focuses on featuring accomplished individuals around the world who practice their professions in a manner that is believed to be inspirational to young people. NiaLena has her own law firm in Philadelphia where she focuses on defending her federal criminal and white collar crime clients while employing a unique holistic approach geared to restoring her clients to good lives. Please visit her website at https://nialena.com to learn more about her practice.