Thomas P. O'Brien
| Thomas Peter O’Brien | |
|---|---|
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| United States Attorney for the Central District of California | |
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In office 2007–2009 |
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| Preceded by | Debra Wong Yang |
| Succeeded by | Andre Birotte |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 12, 1960 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Spouse(s) | Alice M O'Brien |
| Website | profile page |
Thomas Peter O'Brien is a white collar criminal defense attorney at the Los Angeles law office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. He was the United States Attorney for the Central District of California from October 2007 to September 2009.
O'Brien graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 where he earned his bachelor's degree, and from the University 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, and is a graduate of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School.
O’Brien worked as Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, California for more than five years. Before becoming United States Attorney, O’Brien served as Chief of the Criminal Division in the United States Attorney’s Office. 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 Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.
Shortly after taking office as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, O'Brien disbanded the U.S. Attorneys office in Los Angeles whose target was corruption 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.
In 2009, O'Brien launched an inquiry of Cardinal Roger Mahony, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church's Los Angeles Archdiocese, which caused the Federal 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 the honest services act, a law which is usually only applied to public officials and not members of the church.
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