Robert Fogelnest, known to his friends as “Bob” or “Fogie”, died at his home in San Miguel Allende Mexico on February 6, 2022. Robert had lived in San Miguel since his retirement in 2009. During his career, Bob was one of the premier criminal defense lawyers on the East Coast and had both a national and international practice. He represented defendants in both state and Federal court and was one of the defense lawyers in the famed “Pizza Connection” trial, one of the nation’s first so-called mega-trials.
Robert was active in NACDL and served as the President of that organization in 1995-1996. He was a frequent lecturer and taught at both the National Criminal Defense College and the Trial Lawyer’s College. He was a member of the American Board of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Until he suffered a stroke two years ago, Bob was active in the San Miguel community and was a frequent and excellent Karaoke singer. In San Miguel he had a diverse group of friends in both the expat and Mexican communities.
To be with Bob was to be with a force. He could be hysterically funny, profoundly profane, gently mean and wonderfully gentle. He rarely minced words and you knew where he stood on every issue. whether it was dinner, the theatre or politics- you knew what he liked or disliked.
And while he could be incredibly caustic, his inherent kindness was apparent to the many friends he had in both the expat and Mexican communities in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
His death, from a recently diagnosed cancer was incredibly sudden. He died peacefully in the care of his long-time caregiver, Dayna and her husband Oscar, who were part of his large loving Mexican family. Also with him when he died was his cat, “Lefty.”
Because my wife and I spend a fair amount of time in San Miguel, it was our pleasure to renew our friendship with Bob and he brightened our time here immeasurably. I am both devastated by his death and joyful that his passing was painless. He will be greatly missed in this community.
– Rick Kammen