Ronald Goldstock
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Ronald Goldstock is an American attorney known for his work in organized crime law enforcement. He has served as the Director of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force, New York State Commissioner of the
Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH) was a regulatory agency in the Port of New York and New Jersey in the northeast of the United States. The bi-state agency was founded in 1953 by a Congressionally authorized compact between New ...
, advisor to Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, as a member of the board of the
Javits Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James In ...
, and as the director of the Cornell University Institute on Organized Crime. He has taught at
Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...
,
NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...
, and Columbia law schools.


Early career

Goldstock began his career at the New York County District Attorney's office under
Frank Hogan Frank Smithwick Hogan (January 17, 1902 – April 2, 1974) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He served as New York County District Attorney for more than 30 years, during which he achieved a reputation for professionalism and ...
. He was director of the Cornell University Institute on Organized Crime from 1975 to 1979.


New York State Organized Crime Task Force

Goldstock was appointed Director of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) in 1981, and served in that role until 1994. He is credited with transforming the agency from a “moribund task force” that had not achieved any significant convictions in its decade of existence into one that produced 400 convictions by the time of his resignation. Goldstock’s work as director included producing a study on
Cosa Nostra The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of local protect ...
’s involvement in the New York City construction industry and overseeing the OCTF’s involvement in the
Mafia Commission Trial The Mafia Commission Trial (in full, ''United States v. Anthony Salerno, et al'') was a criminal trial before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in New York City, New York, that lasted from February 25, 1985, ...
, in which the task force gathered evidence from a recording device planted inside the
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
of Salvatore Avellino. Goldstock has asserted that he proposed using
RICO The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was ...
to prosecute the commission, which then-U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani publicly took credit for as his own idea.


Waterfront Commission

Goldstock was named New York State Commissioner of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor following widespread corruption in the commission. He left in 2018 after instituting reforms across the commission.


Publications

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References

American lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people {{Improve categories, date=October 2024 Cornell University faculty New York University faculty Columbia University faculty