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Emilio Rodríguez Menéndez, Polarizing Spanish Lawyer, Dies at 75

His career fused courtroom spectacle with criminal convictions that made him a household name.

Overview

  • Telecinco and EFE confirmed he died in Madrid at the Hospital Central de la Cruz Roja after weeks of hospitalization, on the day he turned 75.
  • He built notoriety defending high‑profile figures including El Dioni, “la Dulce Neus,” and police implicated in the disappearance of Santiago Corella, “El Nani,” while cultivating a media profile through TV appearances and ownership of outlets such as Ya and Dígame.
  • The Audiencia Nacional convicted him in 2005 for disseminating a sexual video involving journalist Pedro J. Ramírez, after which he fled to Argentina before being detained upon return in 2006.
  • In 2006 the Supreme Court increased a separate fraud sentence to ten years for crimes committed between 1990 and 1994, and in 2008 he escaped custody by exploiting a four‑day prison permit.
  • A 2023 ruling sentenced him to four years for serious fraud and practicing without authorization over a €120,000 scheme tied to a false YPF oil deal.