Federal Prosecutor Starts in O.C. Today

Rigorously prepared in court, sophisticated in her understanding of the law and scrupulously fair are the oft-given descriptions of Monica Bachner, who becomes Orange County’s top federal prosecutor today.

Bachner, 42, is a 14-year veteran of the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles and currently a senior litigator. She replaces Thomas H. Bienert Jr. as chief of the Santa Ana office. Bienert took a leave of absence to work for independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr and soon will enter private practice.

Bachner, a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School, is best known in legal circles for the supervision and prosecution of complicated narcotics and white-collar crime cases--often approaching major drug cases through financial channels.

“What I try to do is not just prosecute narcotics traffickers but also the money launderers--the people who facilitate--because it can’t be done without their help,” Bachner said.

The Patrick Johnson case in 1991, in which she led a team that prosecuted one of the largest PCP dealers in the nation, was signature Bachner.

She won convictions not only against Johnson and seven other traffickers, but also against his real estate agent.

Johnson, 29, was the leader of a Compton-based drug-trafficking and money-laundering ring who moved to Orange in 1991. Seven members of his organization were convicted of drug charges, but the Long Beach real estate agent who helped hide Johnson’s money through housing purchases also went to prison.

Money laundering and tax violations are sometimes the most appropriate way to prosecute high-level drug dealers, Bachner said, adding that their crimes basically are ones of greed.

As did her predecessor, Bachner said she hopes to expand the Orange County office to the point that it can handle all the federal criminal cases in the county. The office has 18 attorneys who last year brought 85 indictments.

In addition to prosecuting narcotics cases, Bachner has handled immigrant smuggling cases and worked in several departments of the U.S. attorney’s office over the past 14 years.

Her prosecutorial experience closely tracks some of Orange County’s crime problems. White-collar crime--boiler rooms and telemarketing fraud--are common, and the county has its share of high-level narcotics traffickers and smugglers of immigrants. Those will be obvious areas of focus when she takes over the office, Bachner said.

Her specific plans for the office will have to wait until she begins her new job, Bachner said.

“Monica has handled a tremendously diverse range of criminal matters and is a recognized expert in the field of money laundering,” said U.S. Atty. Nora Manella, who heads the seven-county central district from Los Angeles. Manella said she chose Bachner for the Orange County job because of her breadth of court, investigative and managerial experience.

“Her judgment is sound and inspires confidence. She’s not hair-trigger, but she’s no shrinking violet either,” she said.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Tom Warren, who has prosecuted a case with Bachner, called her a “fantastic lawyer, committed to justice in every case.”

“Also, she is scrupulously honest,” Warren said. “If she says the check is in the mail, it was sent a week ago--by registered mail. If she’s going to do anything, she’s going to do it by the book.”

Prominent defense attorney Brian Hennigan, who successfully defended film producer Peter Hoffman from federal tax fraud in a case led by Bachner, also praised her abilities--but said the government should not have brought a case against Hoffman.

Hoffman was indicted on charges that he failed to pay taxes on more than $400,000. He faced up to eight years in jail. After being cleared of the most serious charges, Hoffman was fined $5,000 and required to file amended tax returns.

Nonetheless, Bachner fought a good fight on an exceedingly complicated case, Hennigan said.

A good prosecutor, Hennigan said, actively seeks justice, plays hard but by the rules and tells the truth.

“Monica matches that portrait to a T.”

A native of Teaneck, N.J., Bachner is married to an agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and is the mother of a 4-year-old son whose artwork adorns her office wall.

She stares incredulously when asked about “free time,” but acknowledges a love of gardening, mysteries and biographies.

Her work, however, provides her with much satisfaction.

“I have loved every day of this job,” she said. “Nothing is more satisfying than knowing I’m in the courtroom representing the U.S. government.”