---
category: Law Enforcement & Legal
summary: Dunn was assigned to Ben-Menashe's case pursuant to the Criminal Justice
  Act after Ben-Menashe had spent 75 days in jail.
tags:
- Person
- Lawyer
- LawEnforcement
---

[Thomas F.X. Dunn](/people/thomas-fx-dunn/) was a New York-born, Irish-Catholic lawyer who represented [Ari Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) during his trial for conspiracy to sell C-130 aircraft to [Iran](/places/iran/). Despite his initial lack of knowledge about the Middle East, [Israel](/places/israel/), or the international intelligence scene, he developed a deep understanding of the complex case.[^1]

Dunn was assigned to [Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/)'s case pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act after [Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) had spent 75 days in jail. He worked to prove that [Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) was acting on behalf of the [Israeli](/places/israel/) government with the knowledge of the [U.S.](/places/united-states/) government, rather than as an illegal arms dealer. He faced challenges due to the [Israeli](/places/israel/) government's initial denial of [Ben-Menashe's](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) employment and later claims that he was only a low-level translator.[^1]

Dunn successfully used [Ben-Menashe's](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) employment records, including performance reports and letters of recommendation from his superiors (Col. [Pesah Melowany](/people/pesah-melowany/) and Col. [Arieh Shur](/people/arieh-shur/)), to demonstrate his high-level involvement in [Israeli](/places/israel/) government activities. He also called [Raji Samghabadi](/people/raji-samghabadi/), a *Time* magazine correspondent, as a witness, who confirmed [Ben-Menashe's](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) prior knowledge of the [Iran-Contra Affair](/events/iran-contra-affair/).[^1]

Through Dunn's efforts, [Ben-Menashe](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) was released on bail after 11 months and three weeks in jail, and ultimately found not guilty. Dunn's summation to the jury highlighted [Ben-Menashe's](/people/ari-ben-menashe/) role as a victim of both the [U.S.](/places/united-states/) and [Israeli](/places/israel/) governments' stonewalling and denials.[^1]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992.