 He has been cited and quoted as a noted legal expert in many places including the New York Times, National Public Radio, Newsweek, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times.Figler's first case of note was defending against the death penalty prosecution of Donte Johnson, a California gang member who directed the kidnapping and execution style murders of four young men in Las Vegas in 1998.The four young men were followers of the band, Phish, and the stated motive for their killing was an attempt to steal money the men had made on the road with Phish.