J. Alan (Jerry) Johnson was born to be a trial attorney.
With a booming voice, a meticulous manner and sense of fairness, he carried himself with authority.
But he also had an ability to connect with jurors, to capture their attention with his charm and good humor.
Johnson used all of those skills to rise to the level of U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and served for eight years from 1981 to 1989.
During that time, Johnson’s office followed the priorities of U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, prosecuting cases of organized crime, corruption and narcotics trafficking.
But Johnson is probably most well known for leading the prosecution in the Pittsburgh Drug Trials of 1985, featuring the testimony of current and former players from the Pirates and Major League Baseball.
Johnson saw the baseball trials as being about shattered dreams, said longtime friend and former U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cindrich.
“So many American kids look up to athletes. He saw this as something profound that was going on,” he said. “He saw this as instigating a clean up.”
Johnson, who continued to practice law until about seven years ago, died on Monday at his home in Ross following a lengthy battle against dementia.
He was 79.
Born in West Virginia, Johnson moved to the North Hills of Pittsburgh as a child.
After graduating from high school, his parents sent him to Valley Forge Military Academy for junior college.
His time there had an impact on him, said his wife of 52 years, Kristen Johnson.
“I think it had a huge effect on how he carried himself.”
When Johnson got to law school at Duquesne, she said, he found his calling.
He graduated third in his class, won the school’s moot court award and learned how to be a trial lawyer.
His first job was at the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, and within four years, he was prosecuting homicides.
Kristen and her husband went to high school together, and they both attended Kent State. But it wasn’t until he started at the DA’s office while in law school — and she worked in domestic relations at the courthouse — that they started dating seriously.
They were married in August 1971 and had two sons, Jason, now of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Christopher, of Edmonds, Wash.
Kristen described her husband as smart, quick-witted and fast-talking.
“And that’s what it takes to a successful trial lawyer,” she said. “He loved trying cases, and he loved being in the limelight.”
Johnson’s family members vividly recall Johnson practicing his closing arguments at home — checking the pacing and content of the words the jurors would last hear from him.
“It was just his way of working through the case,” his wife said. “He was such a perfectionist.
“He was obsessed with the law.”
Cindrich befriended Johnson in the DA’s office in the early 1970s. He then appointed Johnson as his first assistant U.S. attorney in 1978.
Cindrich described Johnson as the most capable, conscientious trial lawyer he ever knew.
“He was brilliant as a lawyer, but he was homespun, and jurors reacted to him,” Cindrich said. “He won almost all the time.”
In September 1985, Johnson prosecuted the most high-profile trial of his career — seven men accused of trafficking cocaine in Major League Baseball.
As part of what became known as the Pittsburgh Drug Trials, current and former major leaguers testified against Philadelphia Phillies caterer Curtis Strong and others about the prevalence of cocaine in baseball and how they bought it and arranged sales. Those testifying included Pittsburgh Pirates Dale Berra and Dave Parker and New York Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez.
The players were given immunity in exchange for their testimony, which ultimately led to convictions.
In 2019, the case became the subject of an ESPN 30 for 30 Shorts.
Kristen Johnson said that during that case, in particular, her husband worked nonstop.
“It consumed him,” she said.
The press was constantly calling.
Cindrich said it was unusual for Johnson to be the trial prosecutor in that case.
“U.S. attorneys don’t try too many cases. You can’t afford to lose.”
But Johnson wasn’t afraid to lose and loved the limelight.
“He loved the courtroom,” Cindrich said.
But Cindrich sees his friend’s legacy as bigger than just that one case.
“It’s a legacy of the broad reach of that office when he was there,” he said.
Bruce Teitelbaum, who joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1980, praised Johnson for how he ran the federal prosecutor’s office.
Johnson was a great leader, he continued.
“He instilled loyalty and dedication.”
But the staff also knew to stay out of his way in the mornings until Johnson had his coffee with sugar.
His friends described Johnson as larger than life, loud and boisterous.
Johnson took pride in hiring strong prosecutors — working diligently to find the best people for the job.
“He took a lot of pride in that,” Teitelbaum said. “It was like he was bringing people into his family.”
Fairness, Teitelbaum said, was of utmost importance.
Jason Johnson recalls his father making him file a federal tax return when he was 13 years old to report his income from his grass-cutting business.
“He always believed in playing by the rules.”
As he was growing up, Jason Johnson remembered his dad as tough but fair. Loving but strict.
“He was a guy who rooted for the underdog,” his son said.
His dad believed that hard work overcomes most things, and that it wasn’t education or pedigree that bred success.
“‘How much heart do you have? And how hard do you want to work?’” Jason Johnson recounted. “He led by example.”
After he left the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jerry Johnson set up a boutique criminal defense practice.
He took an of-counsel position at Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace in 2014 and retired about seven years ago.
In his personal life, Johnson was mischievous and playful, known for his distinct laugh.
He had a silver 2002 Chevy Corvette that he loved to drive and enjoyed taking flying lessons at the Butler or Zelienople airports.
Johnson also was a big fan of NASCAR racing.
“Anything fast and dangerous, he liked,” his wife said.
Johnson was diagnosed with dementia several years ago, his family said.
After his diagnosis, Johnson spent several days each week at BRiTE Wellness Program, designed for seniors with cognitive issues.
BRiTE offered a wide variety of programming, including music, dance, art, tai chi.
Johnson, who frequently listened to the Rat Pack, played the drums.
“He just loved the people there,” Kristen said.
In addition to his wife and sons, Johnson is survived by three grandchildren, Nick, Liv, and Kai.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8 at Simons Funeral Home, Inc. 7720 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh. A celebration of life will be held there at 11:30 a.m. on May 9. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to BRiTE Wellness Program, 1310 Old Freeport Road, Suite 38214, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15238.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2019 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
