The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)

A look at Ira Judelson, who was supposed to be Fotis Dulos' bail bondsman.

- By Jordan Fenster 5. He’s called the ‘bail bondsman to the stars’ for a reason

Fotis Dulos attempted suicide Tuesday, the day he was due back in court to face the the possibilit­y of returning to jail.

Ira Judelson was expected to post his bond.

“I was called a couple weeks ago,” Judelson said.

Initially, Dulos’ $6 million bond was handled by another agency, and Judeslon said Dulos’ attorney, Norm Pattis, “was a little upset that I wasn’t involved in the beginning.”

“I stood down,” Judelson said. “Until I got the phone call from Norm (Tuesday) morning that he believed the bond was going to be revoked for some technicali­ties.”

Now that Dulos is in a New York hospital, his future uncertain, Judelson said he’s not sure what will happen.

“There’s a lot of moving parts,” he said.

Dulos, charged by police in the murder of his wife, Jennifer Dulos, would not be the first high-profile client Judelson has bailed out of jail. Not by a long shot. Judelson has made a career of being the bail bondsman to the stars.

Here are five things to know about Ira Judelson:

1. He bailed out Dominique Strauss-Kahn

When former head of the Internatio­nal Monetary Fund Dominique StraussKah­n was charged with raping a hotel worker in New York, Judelson posted $6 million in bail, believed to be one of the the largest cash bail amounts in New York history, as the New York Post reported.

Strauss-Kahn paid $1 million in cash with a $5 million bond through Judelson, to get out of detention.

“His is one of the largest commercial bails ever in state history,” Judeslon told the Post.

2. Fat Joe performed at his son’s bar mitzvah

The rapper Fat Joe helped Judelson promote a web platform called “Jammed Up,” designed to help people find lawyers and bail bondsmen.

Back in 2016, Judelson’s son, Casey, was having a bar mitzvah, so Fat Joe performed — reportedly for free.

According to TMZ, Fat Joe performed his songs “All The Way Up” and “Lean Back,” among others.

“This is going to be the Home Depot of the legal system,” Ira Judelson told the New York Daily News of jammedup.com. “Anybody who needs anything in the legal system will get on this website and never have to come off because it will guide you to everything that you need.

3. He bailed out Conor McGregor

When MMA fighter McGregor was arrested on charges of assault and criminal mischief, he turned to Judelson to bail him out.

“He was a great client — a model client,” Judelson said of McGregor, in an interview with the New York Daily News.

McGregor’s bail was $50,000, nothing compared to the bail amounts for some of Judelson’s other clients.

Judelson told the Daily News that McGregor was kind enough to sign some autographs while they handled their business.

“He came in he signed some autographs for my kid, he took pictures with a friend of mine’s sons who’s going to Michigan to be a doctor,” Judelson said.

4. He handled Harvey Weinstein’s ankle monitor

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty to raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel, had his bail increased after prosecutor­s said he disabled a court-ordered ankle bracelet multiple times.

That ankle bracelet is monitored by Judelson.

“I am on the hook for $2 million if, God forbid, Mr. Weinstein should run,” Judelson told the Wall Street Journal.

Weinstein’s defense against the bail increase was that there was not enough cell coverage at his Bedford, N.Y., home to allow for the ankle monitor to work properly.

The list of Judelson’s former clients reads like a who’s who of sports, music and movies.

He’s bailed out football player Lawrence Taylor, rappers Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Ja Rule and DMX, and comedian Katt Williams, among many others.

“Celebritie­s are very important,” Judelson told ABC News. “It’s more important for them to understand and know that if, God forbid, their world gets shaken up, I’m there for them at any time, day or night.”

He’s also had his share of high-profile criminal cases. He provided bail for famed madam Kristin Davis, Robert Joel Halderman, who allegedly tried to extort money from David Letterman, a neurologis­t accused of raping his patients, a wife accused of killing her husband, and 18-year-old Justin Casquejo, who was arrested after he scaled the World Trade Center.

“I become a counselor” he told ABC News. “I become a priest or a rabbi. If they want to confess something, then I come in and fix their problem.”

 ?? Contribute­d photo ?? Ira Judelson was in talks to be bail bondsman for Fotis Dulos.
Contribute­d photo Ira Judelson was in talks to be bail bondsman for Fotis Dulos.

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