In over four decades as a Federal and state criminal defense attorney, Thomas F.X. Dunn has successfully defended clients in more than 150 felony jury trials including 25 homicides. He is one of the nation’s most sought after defense attorneys.

In his first federal jury trial, Tom defended Ari Ben Menashe, an accused Israeli Mossad spy charged in a conspiracy to sell C-130 transport planes to the Republic of Iran. During the trial, he established the defense that the U.S. and Israel approved the deal that his client negotiated. After a 7 week trial and a 4 hour closing argument, the jury found his client not guilty. Reflecting on Tom’s representation of him, Menashe later wrote, “Of course, had I not been acquitted of the charges leveled against me by the U.S. government, my memoirs would be a futile dream. For this I will always be grateful to Thomas F.X. Dunn, who not only successfully defended me but also continued to encourage my efforts to tell my story.”

Tom then represented Dirk Stoffberg, an accused South African spy who was ordered to appear before Congress. His client’s cooperation resulted in the House Foreign Relations Committee submitting a letter of support to the sentencing judge over the angry protest of prosecutors. His client remains the only individual in U.S. history to obtain a reduced sentence resulting from Congressional cooperation as Tom’s advocacy resulted in a sentence of time-served.

Tom began his trial career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City, and after a significant number of jury trials as lead counsel, he started his own defense practice in Manhattan focusing on federal criminal practice. Tom has defended more than 600 people charged with federal crimes, which include charges of insider trading, stock fraud, health fraud, money laundering and racketeering crimes. Since 2007, his practice has focused on federal cases focusing on negotiations with the government and written and oral mitigation arguments presented to sentencing judges. Tom has defended more than 40 people charged with federal criminal crimes that proceeded to trial, including 5 people in death eligible cases and successfully convinced the government not to seek the death penalty in each case.

Tom graduated cum laude from Western New England Law School where he was a senior staff member of the Western New England Law Review.

Area of Practice
100% Criminal Defense

Bar Admissions
Massachusetts, 1980
New York, 1981
United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, 1981
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1990
United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, 2023