Jerri Krevoff, longtime Nassau court reporter known as 'mayor' of the courthouse, dies at 76

Jerri Krevoff, Nassau's former supervising court reporter known as the "mayor" of the courthouse, died July 17 after a long bout with brain cancer, her friends and former co-workers said. She was 76.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in the Bronx, Krevoff served the court system for 46 years, taking down testimony of high profile trials, hearings, pleas and other courtroom proceedings. She supervised up to 18 court reporters and instructed judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys on the finer points of proper courtroom protocol, according to those who knew and worked with her.

“We used to call her the mayor of the courthouse,” retired Supreme Court Justice Jerald Carter told Newsday. “That’s because Jerri had a way of letting you know that this was her fiefdom.”

Kathi Fedden, a senior court reporter, said that Krevoff’s years in the courtroom gave her the knowledge and authority to provide guidance that could be blunt, but always came from a place of caring.

“She knew everything that had to be done in the courthouse. She knew it all,” Fedden said. “She made sure that you knew how to do your job. If you did it wrong, she would talk to you after and let you know. She wanted everything done a certain way, and it was done her way.”

Carter, a former prosecutor, said that he first met Krevoff while working as a defense attorney. She recorded the transcript of a case he had won and she would remind him every time she would see him.

“How’s my lawyer doing?” she would ask him.

When Carter first became a judge, Krevoff became his regular court reporter.

Krevoff, he recalled, at first chafed at the way he selected a jury.

“She was so upset about it,” he said. “She went to another judge, who's a close personal friend of mine, and said, ‘Give Judge Carter these minutes, let him see how this thing's supposed to work.’ ”

After a few more trials, the judge said he agreed to try it her way.

​​”Sure enough, we tried it her way. It took us probably half the time to get the jury, and things did move more quickly and efficiently,” Carter said. “There were a lot of attorneys who were also upset about the way I was picking the jury, but they didn't tell me. So Jerri was the one who came to me and said, ‘Look, this is the way this is supposed to work.’ And it worked out.”

She was drawn to the courtroom work, Fedden said.

“She just found it so exciting,” she said of Krevoff. “She loved the law. She loved both sides of it, whether you were the prosecutor or the defense. She just found it very, very intriguing.”

Supreme Court Justice Terence Murphy, who served as Carter’s law clerk before becoming a judge, said that her perfectionist drive was motivated by her “big heart.”

“She did things without attribution, without credit because she cared for people,” he said. “It was in her nature.”

“She wanted to make sure that those customs and procedures were carried on to the next generation of court reporters,” he said.

Chief Clerk Donald Vetter remembered her proofing other court reporters’ work and taking on responsibilities that she wasn’t paid to do. “She was good at what she did and she was a leader,” he said.

The larger than life Krevoff would sometimes bring her Yorkies, Scoop and Lucy, into work until she retired in 2018.

In 2023, Krevoff underwent surgery for brain cancer and seemed to have beaten the disease, Fedden said, but it recurred. She died surrounded by friends, Murphy said.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly recalled Krevoff’s commitment to her job.

“Jerri Krevoff was a consummate professional and a good friend. She had truly seen it all, and her experience was unparalleled. You could always rely on Jerri to offer her advice and exceptional knowledge to prosecutors throughout the district attorney’s office," Donnelly said.

"She was especially eager to assist new ADAs who were just learning to navigate the courtroom. Jerri was a commanding presence, known by everyone, and will be remembered fondly by the countless attorneys and court staff she supported during her career. She will be missed,” Donnelly said.

Krevoff is survived by her sister, Joni Stokes, of Florida.

A funeral Mass will be held for Krevoff Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at St. Frances de Chantal Church in Wantagh. She was cremated.