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Accused madam Anna Gristina’s new lawyer dangled the possibility of a plea deal on Thursday as her family scrambled to come up with $200,000 to spring her from jail.
“You always consider a plea in any case...from a murder to spitting on the sidewalk,” upstate criminal defense attorney Gary Greenwald said.
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Greenwald has taken over Gristina’s case, replacing court-appointed defender Richard Siracusa and small-time civil lawyer Peter Gleason.
He also scuttled a bizarre plan by Gleason to let Gristina bunk with him at the $2.5 million Tribeca loft, which he plans to put up as collateral for bail.
Gristina is being held at Rikers in lieu of $2 million bond. She needs to come up with 10% of that in cash to get out, Greenwald said.
He said he expects to be able to post bond next week, possibly after the jailed woman’s sister takes out a loan against her home.
Prosecutors say the Monroe, N.Y., mom of four ran a $10 million call-girl ring that catered to rich and powerful men from an upper East Side brothel.
They suggested in court she has “many well-placed, well-heeled individuals” who could come up with $200,000, but quickly added those associates probably would not be approved.
Greenwald asked for bail to be reduced, denying that Gristina is a flight risk and alleging that prosecutors offered to free her if she “gave them certain information.”
He said the investigators wanted Gristina to tell them if "Mr A, Mr. B, Mr. C used my services.”
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan said he wasn’t going to second-guess the prosecutors and shot down Greenwald’s request.
Greenwald is a colorful character who served as mayor of upstate Wurtsboro and wrote a political column for a local paper.
He spent almost as much time talking to the media about the ouster of Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni as he did about Gristina’s case.
Yet unlike Gleason, who never handled a felony, Greenwald has criminal court chops; he once represented mobster Vincent (Chin) Gigante.
It’s unclear what role Gleason, who was brought into the case by private eye pal Vincent Parco, will play in the high-profile case now.
His replacement defended his offer to become roommates with his client.
"Mr. Gleason's motivation was absolutely phenomenal, of the highest level," Greenwald said.
Prosecutors took a dimmer view.
In court papers, they described the relationship between Gleason and Gristina as “murky” and mocked some of his public comments.
“Mr. Gleason also stated that he did not care whether the defendant was guilty or innocent, a sentiment one might expect from a close friend, but less so from one’s defense counsel,” they wrote in a brief.
Gleason and Greenwald have at least one thing in common.
“I like the media,” the new lawyer said before driving away from the courthouse with co-counsel Elise Rucker.
