Verizon New York-Connecticut President Paul Crotty to Leave Company Next Month to Become U.S. District Court Judge

NEW YORK -- Paul A. Crotty, president of Verizon New York and Connecticut, will leave the company at the end of July to become a federal judge. The company will name a successor at a later date.

Crotty, who joined Verizon more than seven and a half years ago, has been appointed a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, covering Manhattan, the Bronx and parts of upstate New York, starting Aug. 1. Nominated by President Bush, at the suggestion of Sen. Charles E. Schumer with the support of Gov. Pataki and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Crotty was confirmed by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 95-0.

"I leave Verizon with a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment, having had the opportunity to work with world-class women and men on cutting-edge business, legal and technical issues," Crotty said. "I am proud to have played a part in bringing the future of technology to our customers during a period of enormous change in the telecommunications industry. I am excited by this unique opportunity to return to public service as a federal judge. I will miss my colleagues and wish all my friends at Verizon continued success."

Tom Tauke, executive vice president - Verizon Public Affairs, Policy and Communications, said: "Few business leaders have Paul's outstanding credentials and depth of professional experience. All of our state teams benefited from Paul's leadership and wise counsel. He has earned great respect as a leader in business, government and the community, and he has all the qualities desired in an outstanding federal judge. We admire his compassion and dedication and wish him well as he returns to the legal profession."

As region president for Verizon, Crotty was responsible for government relations, regulatory affairs and community relations for Verizon's largest telephone operations company. During his tenure, he played a leadership role in coordinating with public officials during restoration of services after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Crotty has served on the boards of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, St. Vincent's Hospital-Manhattan, the New York State Business Council and the New York Urban League. In addition, he served on the advisory boards of the New York Law School and the C.U.N.Y. Irish Studies program and has been affiliated with numerous other educational and civic organizations.

Prior to joining Verizon, Crotty was corporation counsel for New York City during Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's first term. He also served for four years under Mayor Edward Koch as commissioner of finance and commissioner of housing. In addition, Crotty was a partner in the law firm of Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine where he specialized in the trial of large, complex litigation. He began his legal career as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Lloyd MacMahon.

Crotty is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Cornell Law School. He also served as an officer in the United States Navy.

With more than $71 billion in annual revenues, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon has a diverse work force of 212,000 in four business units: Domestic Telecom provides customers based in 28 states with wireline and other telecommunications services, including broadband. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 45.5 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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