Gus Newman, a respected New York City criminal defense lawyer who completed at least 200 felony trials during his five decades of practice, died Monday.

He was 90 and suffered from a brief illness, said his son, Eric Newman, a civil litigator and partner at Bowles Liberman & Newman in Manhattan.

Known as a skilled cross-examiner who used humor and an old-school presence with juries, Newman was most known for successfully defending white-collar cases. His prominent trial victories included the defenses of U.S. Congressman Rev. Floyd Flake in 1991; Washington, D.C., lawyer Robert Altman in 1993; New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind in 1998; and Manhattan Surrogate Court Judge Nora Anderson in 2010.