John Boneta | Falls Church Criminal Defense Lawyer

John A. Boneta graduated from Catholic University, Columbus School of Law, magna cum laude (1993). He also has a Masters degree in criminal justice from American University (1984). Prior to graduating from law school, Mr. Boneta was a K-9 Police Officer in Arlington County from 1985-1994.

He was a Field Training Officer from 1988-1990, providing individualized training for recruit officers and local training on DWI laws and defensive tactics. During law school, Mr. Boneta completed internships at both the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, DC and the Office of the U.S. Marshal.

Mr. Boneta was an Assistant Commonwealth 's Attorney in Arlington from 1994 to 1996. He prosecuted criminal, traffic, and juvenile cases in General District Court, and conducted jury trials on Felonies in Circuit Court. He responded to motions and prepared grand jury indictments. He was in charge of handling all Habitual Offender cases (civil and criminal) and teaching DWI law and procedure for the Police Department. He was also a member of the critical and fatal accident prosecution team.

Prior to starting his own firm, Mr. Boneta was of Counsel to the national law firm of Speiser Krause, one of the oldest and more prestigious mass disaster and aviation accident firms in the country. He has also been a partner in the Fairfax law firm of Phillips, Beckwith, Hall and Boneta; and the associate attorney responsible for handling criminal cases for Baskin, Jackson, and Hansbarger.

Mr. Boneta has taught a variety of courses at Marymount University since 1997, including Racial and Ethnic Relations, Correctional Institutions, Cultural Anthropology, and Policing in America. Since 1994 he has taught at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Police Academy. Mr. Boneta has also taught numerous continuing legal education courses for the Virginia Bar on topics ranging from ethical issues in the practice of Criminal Law to DUI Defense, and the Use of Expert Witnesses. He was also appointed to the Falls Church City Commission on Public Safety and Human Relations in Falls Church, Virginia, in 1998.

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Owner	John A. Boneta & Associates, PLLC		2001 - Present
Partner	Phillips, Beckwith, Hall & Boneta		2001 - 2001
Of Counsel	Speiser Krause, PC		1998 - 2001
Associate Attorney	Baskin, Jackson & Hansbargar		1996 - 1998
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney	Commonwealth Of Virginia Arlington County		1994 - 1996
K-9 Police Officer	Arlington County Police Department		1985 - 1994

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America	J.D.	Law School	1993
National Association of District Attorneys	Career Prosecutor Course	Litigation	1996
National College of District Attorneys	Career Prosecutor Course	Criminal Law	1996
Fairfax County Police Canine Academy Police	Certified K-9 Handler		1990
Northern VA Police Academy	Police Certification	Criminal Justice	1985
American University	MA	Criminal Justice	1984
Gettysburg College	BA	History and English	1983

State / Court	Date
Virginia	1994
District of Columbia	1995

• Fairfax Bar Association | Member | 1997 - Present
  Bar Association of the District of Columbia | Member | 1997 - Present
  Federal Bar Association | Federal Bar | 1997 - Present
  Arlington County Bar Association | Member | 1994 - Present
  Virginia State Bar | Member | 1994 - Present
  Region Three USPCA | Canine Association | 1994 - Present

• Appointment to The Criminal Justice Services Board | Virginia Governor | 2014
  Attorney with the Mostest | Arlington County Bar Association | 2010
  Valor Award | US Police Canine Association | 1993
  Craven Cup Moot Court Champion | Catholic University | 1992

• DUI and DWI | Charge DISMISSED | Client was charged with dwi BAC ..11. Prosecutor would not agree to reduce charge so I argued motion to suppress challenging the basis for stop and probable cause for arrest. After a vigorous cross-examination of the arresting officer, the motion was granted.

• COMMONWEALTH v SHIPLER
  Attorney for the Defendant in a child pornography case in which said Defendant was a local coach of a girls' soccer team. Said defendant was found guilty of photographing several of his players while they were nude or only partially clothed (the children were under 13). Said Defendant was sentenced to five years with three suspended, for each of his three counts, with the sentences running consecutively. He was also placed on the sex offender list and given 10 years active probation upon his release and ordered him to continue sex-offender treatment.

• MAHMOUDZEDEH V. COMMONWEALTH
  Appellant: Attorney for the appellant, Jamal Mahmoudzadeh. The appellant appeals his jury conviction for computer politicization of a minor and attempted indecent liberties with a minor. He argues that the trial court erred in precluding him from eliciting testimony from three witnesses who saw pictures of the female that the appellant believed he was chatting with on the internet. All witnesses believed that the woman was in her twenties. The appellant claims that the testimony from these witnesses would show that the he lacked criminal intent. Upon review of the case the appeals court finds that any error was harmless. The appellant had told police that he believed the woman to be about fifteen and the female in question had disclosed to the appellant that she was in deed only thirteen. The appeal is denied and original judgment and conviction affirmed.

• Arlington County Bar Association | Successful representation in dwi cases | 2014
  Northern Virginia Police Academy | Moot Court for Police Recruits | 2014
  Marymount University | Cybercrime | 2014
  George Mason Law School | Trial advocacy | 2014
  Arlington County Bar annual CLE | DWI litigation | 2014
  Marymount University | Policing in America | 2011
  New Strategies and Tactics in Representing Clients | Defending Serious Traffic Cases | 2009
  Virginia DWI Seminar | Strategies in handling DWI/DUI Cases in Virginia | 2005
  Lorman Education Services publication | Strategies in Handling DWI and DUI Cases in Virginia | 2005
  Arlington County Bar Association | DWI: Update on the New Sanctions | 2004
  Multi- Bar event: a Comparative Approach | Insight into General District Court Practice | 2004
  Arlington Bar CLE | DWI: The New Sanctions | 2004
  Arlington Bar Association | Ethical Considerations In Practicing Criminal Law | 2003
  Annual Arlington Bar Association CLE | Ethical Considerations In Practicing Criminal Law | 2002
  State Bar CLE Books | Successful DWI Defense | 1999

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• Our Team | John A. Boneta & Associates