A heartfelt farewell was bid to federal judge Sterling Johnson Jr. in a funeral at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York.  

Marines folded the American flag to honor Johnson at his viewing ceremony. Speakers at the viewing said he was most known for ordering the closing of a Guantanamo Bay detention facility that he referred to as an “H.I.V. prison camp” for Haitian refugees.  

Those who talked about Johnson at the ceremony said he accomplished so much, starting as a full-time police officer while in law school and then operating as the special narcotics prosecutor for New York City, where he prosecuted over 7,000 cases. 

Judge Margo K. Brody, chief judge of the Eastern District of New York, reflected on her time working with Johnson, saying he never batted an eye - even when his cases brought danger,  

News 12 was told by those in attendance that Johnson died of natural causes.