The death of “nightlife lawyer” Sal Strazzullo is shrouded in mystery

The death of New York's notorious “nightlife lawyer” is officially listed as “unexplained” after he was found in his running car in a garage while facing criminal charges.

The verdict in the Salvatore “Sal” Strazzullo case was made by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner because neither a suicide note nor any third-party negligence was found – and the family of the controversial lawyer refused an autopsy for religious reasons.

The 52-year-old was found unconscious in the garage of his parents' house in Brooklyn last Saturday.

The car's engine was running and the windows were open, sources told The Post on Friday.

Despite the disturbing circumstances, the coroner could not officially determine that he committed suicide due to the lack of a death report, the sources said.

The coroner also did not reject the family's request not to perform an autopsy because there was no evidence of a crime at the scene, a source told the Washington Post.

The medical examiner did not conduct any further tests, including toxicology, and the verdict is considered final and indeterminate.

In 2012, Strazzullo was dubbed New York's “nightlife lawyer” by the New York Times for his specialty in representing troubled celebrities and strippers, most famously rapper and alleged exhibitionist Foxy Brown, for whom he developed the “underwear defense.”

At the time of his death, Strazzullo was facing charges of theft and fraud, accused of defrauding elderly clients of nearly $3.8 million to fund his lavish lifestyle.

In April, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez alleged that Strazzullo misused his trust account in a Ponzi scheme in which he took money from one client to pay off another – and ran up large bills at fancy hotels and restaurants along the way.

The lawyer is also said to have used his clients' money to afford extravagances such as a $100,000 BMW and a $13,000-a-month apartment in Battery Park City.

Strazzullo pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree grand larceny, four counts of second-degree grand larceny and one count of first-degree attempted fraud.

In December 2023, he also pleaded not guilty in another criminal case in which he was accused of stealing $1.5 million from three other clients.