U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, known as "a judge's judge" among his peers, died at age 81 on Wednesday from complications related to a lung infection, the court announced.

Middle District Chief Judge Christopher Conner in a statement released Wednesday said Caputo was a credit to the bench.

"Judge Caputo was a 'judge's judge'—a strong, direct and erudite jurist—who instinctively knew how to cut to the heart of complex legal issues, prompting their resolution," Conner said. "He made many extraordinary contributions to the Wilkes-Barre vicinage, to our entire court, and to our country. Our district will be forever honored by Judge Caputo's distinguished service, and he has bestowed upon our court a truly memorable legacy. We extend our thoughts and prayers to the Caputo family at this difficult time."

Caputo was born May 22, 1938, in Port Chester, New York. He graduated from Brown University in 1960 and, three years later, earned his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

After graduating from law school, Caputo joined the U.S. Air Force as a Judge Advocate General's Corps officer and served from 1964 to 1967. When his active duty service came to an end, Caputo worked briefly as a public defender in Luzerne County until 1968.

Later that year he co-founded the firm of Shea, Shea & Caputo in Luzerne County, where he worked for nearly 30 years until his nomination by former President Bill Clinton and appointment to the federal bench in 1998.

Notably, Caputo presided over the corruption case of former Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert Cordaro in 2011. Cordaro was convicted on charges of demanding payments from contractors and firms who had or wanted to receive contracts with the county was sentenced to 11 years in prison by Caputo in 2013.

In his most recent appeal, in 2017, Cordaro argued that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2016 decision in McDonnell v. United States meant his extortion, bribery and racketeering convictions must be vacated, and a new trial granted. In McDonnell, the court narrowed the definition of an "official act," effectively making it harder for prosecutors to prove bribery.

However, Caputo rejected this argument, writing in his opinion that there was "overwhelming" evidence against Cordaro.

"In view of the evidence presented at trial, a reasonable, properly instructed jury would again find Cordaro guilty of the charged offenses," Caputo had said.

Caputo, a senior judge, continued presiding over high-stakes litigation up until the months preceding his death. Most recently, in December, Caputo issued a $9.45 million award to a businessman seeking to sell off his ownership stakes in two medical-pharmaceutical companies.