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VICTORIA TOENSING
 Victoria Toensing,
a founding partner of diGenova & Toensing, is an internationally known
expert on white-collar crime, terrorism, national security and intelligence
matters.
In 1997,
Ms. Toensing was named special counsel by the U.S. House of Representatives
to probe the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Also while in private
practice, she represented "Jane Doe Thompson" in a successful
lawsuit against the CIA. During her 14 years in private practice, she has
represented major corporations and individuals in both criminal and civil
matters.
As Deputy
Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Justice
Department, she established Justice's Terrorism Unit. She managed the
Federal government's efforts to bring to justice the terrorists responsible
for the hijacking of TWA 847, the bombing of Pan Am 830, and the takeover
of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. For her aggressive pursuit of TWA 847
terrorist Mohammed Rashid she was featured on the cover of The New York
Times Magazine (April 21, 1991). Also in her Justice Department position,
Toensing supervised the Defense Procurement Fraud Unit, savings and loan
industry fraud, cases dealing with nuclear industry regulation, securities
fraud, and fraud and bribery in the banking industry. She was a frequent
witness before committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
While
Chief Counsel for Senator Barry Goldwater, Chairman of the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence, 1981-1984, Toensing was instrumental in winning
passage of two important bills: (1) to protect the identities of
intelligence agents and (2) to protect certain classified information from
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.
As
Assistant U.S. Attorney in Detroit from 1976-1981, she developed the argument
used before the Supreme Court to support profile searches at airports of
suspected drug couriers.
She has
co-hosted CNBC’s Equal Time and Rivera Live!, and is a frequent legal
analyst on national television programs dealing with politics, criminal
justice, national security, and terrorism. Her Op Ed pieces on law and
national security have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal,
Washington Post, and USA Today.
Education:
University of Detroit (J.D., cum laude, 1975), Indiana University (B.S.Ed.,
1962). Member, Mortar Board; admitted to bar, 1975, Michigan; 1980,
District of Columbia.
Employment
History: Private Practice, 1988 - Present; Special Counsel to U.S. House of
Representatives Teamsters Investigation, 1997-1998; Deputy Assistant Attorney
General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1984-1988; Chief
Counsel, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Washington, D.C.,
1981-1984; Assistant U.S. Attorney, 1976 - 1981; Law Clerk, Michigan Court
of Appeals, 1975-1976. Prior to law school, teacher of high school English.
Professional
Organizations and Activities: MSNBC Legal Expert, 1997 - 1998; Law
Enforcement Commission, Appointed by Speaker Newt Gingrich, 1997; America’s
Talking Legal Expert, 1995; Alpha Chi Omega Award Of Achievement, 1992;
United States Sentencing Commission Practitioners Advisory Group on
Corporate Sanctions, 1988-1989; ABA Complex Crimes Advisory Board,
Litigation Section, 1987-1994; Agency Seal Medallion CIA Award, 1986; ABA
Law and National Security Standing Committee, 1985-1991; ABA White Collar
Crime Committee, Vice-Chair, 1985-1991; Recipient, Special Commendation
Award, Office of U.S. Attorney General, 1980; Chairperson, Republican
Women’s Task force, 1979-1981; Founder and Chair, Women Organized to Meet
Existing Needs, Michigan, 1975-1979.
Author:
Lawyer’s Desk Book on White Collar Crime Chapter, “Organizational
Sanctions”; “The Sanctions Are Coming. The Sanctions Are Coming,” The
Washington Lawyer, March/April 1990; “Terrorism: The Rule of Law,” Terrorism:
An International Journal, Winter 1990; “Major Fraud Act of 1988,” 1989
Complex Crimes Journal, March 1998; “Congressional Oversight: Impeding the
Executive Branch and Abusing the Individual,” Houston Journal of Internal
Law, Vol. 11, No. 1, Fall, 1988; “Mens Rea: Insanity by Another Name,” The
Compleat Lawyer, April, 1984; “The Federal Insanity Defense: A Time for
Change in the Post-Hinckley Era,” Vol. 24, South Texas Law Journal, Nov. 3,
1983; “Bringing Sanity to the Insanity Defense,” 69 American Bar
Association Journal 466, 1983. Contributing Author: “Fighting Back: Winning
the War Against Terrorism,” Lexington Books, 1985; numerous Op Ed pieces in
national newspapers.
diGenova & Toensing, LLP
Washington, DC
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