19 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
19 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
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category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
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tags:
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- Person
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- Lawyer
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- LawEnforcement
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summary: "Dunn was assigned to Ben-Menashe's case pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act after Ben-Menashe had spent 75 days in jail."
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---
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[[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]
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Dunn was assigned to [[Ari Ben-Menashe|Ben-Menashe]]'s case pursuant to the [[Criminal Justice Act]] after [[Ari Ben-Menashe|Ben-Menashe]] had spent 75 days in jail. He worked to prove that [[Ari Ben-Menashe|Ben-Menashe]] was acting on behalf of the [[Israel|Israeli]] government with the knowledge of the [[United States|U.S.]] government, rather than as an illegal arms dealer. He faced challenges due to the [[Israel|Israeli]] government's initial denial of [[Ari Ben-Menashe|Ben-Menashe's]] employment and later claims that he was only a low-level translator.[^1]
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Dunn successfully used [[Ari Ben-Menashe|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 [[Israel|Israeli]] government activities. He also called [[Raji Samghabadi]], a *Time* magazine correspondent, as a witness, who confirmed [[Ari Ben-Menashe|Ben-Menashe's]] prior knowledge of the [[Iran-Contra Affair]].[^1]
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Through Dunn's efforts, [[Ari Ben-Menashe|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 [[Ari Ben-Menashe|Ben-Menashe's]] role as a victim of both the [[United States|U.S.]] and [[Israel|Israeli]] governments' stonewalling and denials.[^1]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. Sheridan Square Press, 1992 (TrineDay reprint, 2015).
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