I was planning on a lengthy post-long weekend post this morning, but unfortunately, I have some sad news to pass along. Longtime prosecutor Luis Perez has passed away.
Luis has been battling cancer for many years and passed away this morning. He was an Assistant United States Attorney for as long as I can remember. Most recently he was the chief of economic crimes. He always seemed to be around, whether walking the streets of downtown Miami during the lunch hour or in court or in a case meeting. We didn’t always agree on cases obviously, but he was a nice guy, always friendly, and a dedicated public servant.
UPDATED — The service will take place this Thursday at 1:00 p.m. and will be live streamed: http://church.stamiami.org/ . The church is not allowing open physical attendance. For those of you who are interested in making donations, they can be made in Luis’ memory and honor to Sylvester Cancer Center (pancreatic cancer).
16 comments:
Definitely butted heads with him...but he listened and was respectful, and was very funny. He was always willing to hear you out, and consider your ask, which is gold in his line of work. Also, was never awkward after the fact, moved on and was willing to be your friend if you took him up on the offer...I will miss seeing him at the little cafecito windows downtown. What a good guy and a terrible loss.
The Miami legal community has lost a special person today. I had the opportunity to work for Luis during my time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was a great teacher and, more importantly, a wonderful person. Although he was modest by nature, he taught many AUSAs how to better communicate with juries. We will miss him.
I met Lui the same way many readers here did. He prosecuted my clients. I had one matter in particular where he did not think much of my client and we had our disagreements in the matter. Lui was not shy about letting you know if he thought you were wrong. But, he listened, he was fair, never held a grudge, and he was funny and always smiling when I saw him. Many times I enjoyed laughing it up with Lui over a cafecito on Flagler street. I know he did the same with many lawyers who appreciated his good will. I later got to know Lui from a different perspective when his wife taught my girls at our parish school and I frequently saw him out cylcing wit his brother. Lui was a devoted father and husband and close to his brother. I offer my sincerest condolences to Lui's family and closest friends. Lui will be missed by many.
Henry Bell
FROM JUDGE FEDERICO MORENO
David, I just read about Luis’ passing. What a prince of a guy. In these days of the Corona virus pandemic, we sometimes forget about those who have valiantly , and believe it or not cheerfully, fought the battle against cancer. He was too young to die but in a shorter life than most had a positive impact on his colleagues in the US Attorney’s Office, above and below his rank, the students of the Lourdes Constitution team, opposing defense counsel , judges, and of course his family. I wil miss him with his Downtown cafecito walks with Gerardo Sims. Loui was a great lawyer, a true officer of the court , and a magnificent human being . As we say in Spanish : “Que Dios lo tenga en la gloria.” FAM
David, thanks for remembering Luis. Everybody that knew him always had stories- his integrity, fairness, stubbornness. Taking with Luis was easy, you got two sentences and he got he rest of the day. Also, talking on the phone with him. No need for speaker. put headset down and move 10 feet away and you had no trouble hearing him.
Micheal
David: Thanks for letting everyone know about Luis' passing.
Luis was a great person, friend, and colleague. As Judge Moreno remarked, he handled his illness, no matter the setbacks, with courage and humor. As an example, he said that he was finally free to eat whatever he wanted because he was not gaining any weight due to his treatment.
We will miss him terribly.
Bert Jordan
As it always seems to turn out among caballeros cubanos, over the years Luis and I came out about even in terms of buying each other cafe at Las Reinas del Cafe on SW First Street or various stops along Flagler. As a local guy and a former ASA who prosecuted real crimes, he always had a clear-eyed view of the kind of cases we handle here and talking to him was not like talking to a wall. He got it and he was not afraid of his own shadow, which is about the highest compliment I can give someone from his office. Rest in peace young brother. Joaquin
Luis was one of the kindest, funniest and intelligent people I had the pleasure of knowing. I'll never forget his friendship, kindness and the way he would always make me laugh. Test in peace, my friend. Robin
Luis was a genuine person in every sense of the word. When he asked about you or your family, he actually meant it and cared about what you had to say. The times we would run into each other around the courthouse or at a downtown la ventanita will be missed. RIP.
Luis was one of the warmest, funniest, friendliest, most caring people I ever had the pleasure to work with or know. He was a man of faith who was deeply committed to his wife and children. An excellent prosecutor, he believed in fairness and playing by the rules. Luis made an impression from the time he started as an ASA in 1985, and I unabashedly tried to recruit him to the Narcotics Division, although his intense sense of loyalty to his Chief and colleagues in Sex Battery made my attempts futile. Luis and I then "rode the wave" of ASAs recruited to the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1990, where Luis immediately earned respect as both a colleague and a trial attorney. Working together in a great office in the 1990's, Luis, Allan Kaiser and I all had children born within a day or two of each other. Luis' morning walks with Gerardo Simms for cafe cubano were legendary. They always invited you to join them, but you knew you would be stopped a dozen times by people who knew Luis, Gerardo, or both. It is no surprise to hear that he was gracious throughout his illness. I miss his booming voice, I miss his humor, but most of all, I miss his kindness. RIP Luis.
-- David Troyer
FROM BOB MARTINEZ:
Luis was always a pleasure to be with. He was always cheerful, upbeat, and friendly. I had the honor to be his colleague and supervisor. I could always rely on his hard work, honest opinions, and professionalism - and his commitment to do the right thing even when not the easiest. When I returned to the USAO throughout the years representing clients, I made it a point to stop by and see Luis to just chit chat. The topic would immediately turn to our families, and he would quickly tell me the latest news about his daughters and also always talking about Maggie. For those blessed to have Luis as a friend, he enriched our life’s adventure by his friendship. For those blessed to work with him as a fellow prosecutor or have him on “the other side” of a case, we saw first-hand the personification of a professional prosecutor who understood that his obligation wasn’t just to “win a case, but to make sure that justice shall be done.”
Luis is missed already. But he left a positive mark in the world.
Get some rest my dear friend.
Abrazos! Bob
FROM JEFF SLOMAN
Our country and this community lost a great human being and public servant. While Luis had an illustrious courtroom career prosecuting numerous high-profile federal criminal cases over 30 years, his larger contribution was resolving and/or supervising the resolution of thousands of unpublicized serious cases. Just as he did in the courtroom, Luis handled them with the same humility, humor and arc of experience that will be so sorely missed. If anyone will be rewarded in heaven for what they have done on earth, it is my friend and former colleague, AUSA Luis M. Perez.
I worked with Luis as a federal prosecutor in the SD of FL. He was a good lawyer and a good man. He will be greatly missed. May he rest in God's eternal peace and presence.
Carol DeGraffenreidt
Luis was an excellent prosecutor but an even better individual. I had many cases with Luis during my tenure as a probation officer, but my favorite interaction with him was when he and Gerry would be in the front of the USAO sipping cafecito and laughing about almost everything, and towards the end, when we'd stop and talk as he waited for his ride at the end of the day. I will miss him!
Although many of us were aware of Lui’s battle with cancer, we were never prepared for his passing. During my years as the Inspector in Charge (ret) of the Miami Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Lui was not only an excellent advocate for victims throughout our District, but a trusted and responsible member our community. You could always count on Lui to do the right thing. His humanity was always on duty and on display!! Anyone that ever met Lui would agree that he could illuminated any room. Lui will now shed light on us from heaven. God bless you and your beautiful family. Abrazos, Henry Gutierrez
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