Harold Gurewitz has years of experience representing people and businesses in state and federal criminal justice systems. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan early in his career and as Chief of the Economic Crime Unit for the Office.
After entering private practice, he successfully defended a high-level union official charged with corruption under the federal RICO statute. He had the privilege to represent Coleman A. Young, the first African American Mayor of the City of Detroit, during several federal and state investigations focusing on allegations of corruption in city government. Mayor Young was never charged with any offense.
In 2000, Mr. Gurewitz obtained dismissal of federal racketeering charges of a RICO street-gang-related murder in Detroit. Federal prosecutors sought the Death Penalty. United States v. Garcia, 143 F Supp.2d 279 (ED MI 2000). Michigan outlawed the death penalty in 1846, but federal prosecutors may seek the penalty for selected offenses, such as racketeering, in federal court.
From 2007 through 2011, Mr. Gurewitz successfully defended an accused from a federal demand for the Death Penalty for a shooting and death of an armored car guard. The jury returned a verdict overwhelmingly rejecting the Death Penalty. United States v. O’Reilly, Eastern District of Michigan Case No. 05-80025.
In 2017, Mr Gurewitz was admitted to practice before the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands.
In June 2018, Mr. Gurewitz obtained a landmark ruling before the United States Supreme Court in Carpenter v United States, 138 S Ct 2206 (2018), extending privacy protections of the Fourth Amendment to records created by cell phone use. (See, Notable cases for more information)
In June 2022, Mr Gurewitz obtained a landmark ruling from the Michigan Supreme Court, People v Peeler, 509 Mich 381 (2022), holding that Michigan’s unique One-Man-Grand Jury investigation procedures do not authorize a judge/grand juror to indict. (See, Notable cases for more information)
Mr Gurewitz has also received an award from the Department of Justice for Outstanding Achievement, and from the Federal Bar Chapter in Detroit in 1998 as an Outstanding Criminal Defense Attorney.
Mr. Gurewitz has served on boards and committees of professional and civic organizations including the Federal Community Defender, State Bar Federal Courts Committee and the Prisons and Corrections Section, Chamber Music Detroit, and Congregation T’chiyah.
