Frank W. Dunham Jr.
- Share via
As the federal public defender for the eastern district of Virginia, Frank W. Dunham Jr., 59, represents accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui and U.S.-born Taliban fighter Yaser Esam Hamdi. With Moussaoui, Dunham serves as “standby counsel” for a client who refuses to speak to him.
*
“What I anticipated was public outrage at anybody who would take on a case defending a guy like this, but the public has been far more tolerant than I ever expected.
They understand that although this guy hates them and everything they represent, he is also entitled to legal representation and he’s entitled to his day in court.
Mr. Moussaoui won’t even talk to me now. I’m enemy No. 1 as far as he’s concerned. Before he fired us as his defense team, I saw him 55 times in jail. We’d have long visits.
Since 9/11, I’ve always worn an American flag lapel pin, and I think he associated me with the government.
Right now, I’m Hamdi’s counsel too, but I’ve never met the man. [Hamdi is being held incommunicado as an enemy combatant in a Navy brig in Norfolk, Va.] I may be the first lawyer in American history to have that problem.”
*
As told to Eric Lichtblau
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.
Tom Girardi was a legal legend—until he was found guilty of stealing millions from his own clients. Host Madison McGhee and pop culture commentator Kiki Monique unpack how his downfall became a Real Housewives scandal, and what Erika Jayne may or may not have known. Plus, L.A. Times reporter Harriet Ryan joins to share how she helped bring Girardi’s crimes to light.
Sammy Roth visits America’s second-largest nuclear plant, Arizona’s Palo Verde Generating Station, and sits down with three experts to explore the pros and cons of atomic energy.
