Thomas Peter O'Brien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Attorney for theCentral District of California | |
| In office October 5, 2007 – September 1, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Debra Wong Yang[1] |
| Succeeded by | André Birotte Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Peter O'Brien[2] (1959-06-19)June 19, 1959 (age 66)[3] Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.[3] |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) University of San Diego School of Law (JD) |
| Website | profile page |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1981-c.1987[3] |
Thomas Peter O'Brien (born June 19, 1959) is an American white collar criminal defense lawyer at theLos Angeles law office of Ellis George Cipollone O’Brien Annaguey LLP.[4] He was theUnited States Attorney for theCentral District of California from October 2007 to September 2009.[5]
O'Brien graduated from theUnited States Naval Academy in 1981,[6] where he earned his bachelor's degree, and from theUniversity of San Diego School of Law in 1993, where he was an associate editor of the San Diego Law Review and received his degree with honors. He accumulated 2,000 flight hours as a radar intercept officer in the F-14 fighter aircraft,[6] and is a graduate of theUnited States Navy Fighter Weapons School.[7][8]
After leaving the U.S. Navy, he landed a job as a stockbroker in October 1987. He left the business world after two years with that job.[3]
O'Brien worked as deputy district attorney forLos Angeles County, California for more than five years in the gang unit. Before becoming United States Attorney, O'Brien served as chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney's Office. In 2009, he oversaw the largest federal gang sweep in DOJ history, where 88 Hawaiian Gardens gang members were arrested.[9] He is currently a litigation partner, where he focuses his practice on white collar defense and representing clients in federal investigations, at the Los Angeles law office of Ellis George Cipollone O’Brien Annaguey LLP. O'Brien was previously a partner at the Los Angeles office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.[7]
Shortly after taking office as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, O'Brien disbanded the U.S. Attorney's office inLos Angeles whose target wascorruption of public officials, elected officials, and other governmental regulators. O'Brien explained that the unit's 17 lawyers would be farmed out to other sections in the office.[10]
In 2009, O'Brien launched an inquiry of CardinalRoger Mahony, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church's Los Angeles Archdiocese, which caused theFederal Grand Jury to take action. With the grand jury's inquiry came the possibility that Mahony would be held responsible for the many molestations that occurred by members of the clergy who the cardinal had reason to suspect were pedophiles. O'Brien was responsible for bringing the suit to light. There's a possibility that the "let's-move-on attitude might have gained traction were it not for U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien." The grand jury probe by O'Brien's office examined whether or not Mahony would be held accountable for leaving multiple sexual predators, including two convicted child molesters, serving in the ministry "until 2002 when a legal settlement in a clergy sexual abuse case mandated their removal." The suit was later dropped as it was filed under thehonest services act, a law which is usually only applied to public officials and not members of the church.[11][12]
O'Brien resigned as United States Attorney in September 2009. Shortly thereafter, an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department Inspector General uncovered that O'Brien stayed at pricey hotels while traveling and then sought government reimbursement by telling his secretary to lie and state falsely that more affordable rooms were not available.[13] The report found that O'Brien's claims for reimbursement were "inappropriate and egregious" ethics violations. O'Brien denied telling his secretary to make false statements, but when interviewed by investigators he then blamed his secretary. Investigators found O'Brien's claims to be neither "credible or persuasive," the report said. O'Brien maintained his innocence.[14]
However, as of November 2010, O'Brien made right with the case and has stated that "he didn't do anything wrong," but told the L.A. Times that he takes "full responsibility" for excessive spending caused by any errors. The former U.S. Attorney paid an amount of money to theDepartment of Justice to cover hotel bills the inspector general report identified as excessive.[14]