Thomas F.X. Dunn

Thomas F.X. Dunn was a New York-born, Irish-Catholic lawyer who represented Ari Ben-Menashe during his trial for conspiracy to sell C-130 aircraft to Iran. Despite his initial lack of knowledge about the Middle East, Israel, or the international intelligence scene, he developed a deep understanding of the complex case.¹

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

Dunn successfully used Ben-Menashe's employment records, including performance reports and letters of recommendation from his superiors (Col. Pesah Melowany and Col. Arieh Shur), to demonstrate his high-level involvement in Israeli government activities. He also called Raji Samghabadi, a Time magazine correspondent, as a witness, who confirmed Ben-Menashe's prior knowledge of the Iran-Contra Affair.¹

Through Dunn's efforts, 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 role as a victim of both the U.S. and Israeli governments' stonewalling and denials.¹