Former U.S. attorney to speak on law and ethics

As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara earned a reputation as "the man who terrifies Wall Street" and one of the nation's most aggressive and outspoken prosecutors.

Frequently listed among the nation's most influential people, he is the host of "Stay Tuned with Preet," a podcast about justice and fairness.

On Wednesday, March 7, Bharara will delve into some of today's most pressing issues with Elmhurst College Professor of Philosophy Katrina Sifferd during "Stay Tuned: A Conversation on Law and Ethics with Preet Bharara," this year's Rudolf G. Schade Lecture on History, Ethics and Law.

Bharara is a distinguished scholar in residence at NYU School of Law. As U.S. attorney from 2009 to 2017, Bharara oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases brought on behalf of the United States in the Southern District of New York.

His office handled a high volume of cases involving terrorism, narcotics and arms trafficking, financial and health care fraud, cybercrime, public corruption, gang violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations.

Under Bharara's leadership, the office played a significant role in some of the most high-profile cases of the last decade involving figures and organizations such as Bernie Madoff, Wall Street firms, and Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad.

Sifferd is a philosopher interested in criminal responsibility and punishment. Her research focuses on scientific explanations of decision-making and action, and the way they intersect with criminal culpability.

She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on criminal responsibility, reduction, folk psychology and law, and punishment. Sifferd and her Elmhurst colleagues, William Hirstein and Tyler Fagan, recently completed a monograph for MIT Press called "Responsible Brains: Neuroscience and Human Culpability."

The Rudolf G. Schade Lecture Series is made possible by a gift from Robert and Marcia Goltermann and continued sponsorship from BMO Harris Bank.

The Schade lecture will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, in Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. Admission is $10 for the public and free for Elmhurst College students, faculty, staff and alumni. Tickets are available by visiting elmhurst.edu/cultural.

For information, call (630) 617-5186.