Robert C. Bonner
Encyclopedia
Robert C. Bonner is a former American prosecutor, former federal judge
, former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration
and former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology and former Chair of the California Commission on Judicial Performance.
, Kansas
. He grew up in Wichita where his father practiced law and his mother was a school teacher. He credits his mother for infusing him with a strong commitment to public service. He received a B.A.
from the University of Maryland, College Park
in 1963 and a J.D.
from Georgetown University Law Center
in 1966. He was a law clerk for Albert Lee Stephens, Jr.
of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
from 1966 to 1967. He was on active duty in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps from 1967-1971, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, USNR. During that time, he served for nearly two years on an aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42). He was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California
from 1971 to 1975, and then went into private practice in Los Angeles
for nine years. Afterwards he became the U.S. Attorney for the same district in 1984. As a U.S. Attorney, he worked closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration on two record-breaking money laundering
cases, Operations Pisces and Polar Cap, and had led the prosecution team against the killers of a DEA special agent.
On February 28, 1989, Bonner was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to be a federal judge for California's Central District, to a seat vacated by Pamela Ann Rymer
. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
on May 18, 1989, and received commission on May 24, 1989. Judge Bonner resigned on August 12, 1990, to be reassigned to a new position, and on May 11, 1990, President Bush nominated him to be Administrator of the DEA. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
on July 27, 1990 and sworn in as the DEA's fifth Administrator on August 13, 1990. Bonner served as Administrator from August 16, 1990 to October 31, 1993.
In November 1993, just after leaving his post as head of the DEA, Judge Bonner appeared on 60 Minutes
and criticized the CIA for permitting a drug shipment to the U.S. without first notifying and securing the approval of the DEA
.
From 1993 to 2001, Judge Bonner was a partner in the Los Angeles
and Washington, D.C.
law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
, an international law firm. His practice focused on business and white-collar crime
matters, complex civil cases, internal corporate investigations, and corporate compliance programs. Among his clients were Con-Agra, Waste Management, Occidental Petroleum Chairman Ray Irani, the University of Southern California and the City of Thousand Oaks. He defended Heidi Fleiss
in her federal tax evasion prosecution and prosecuted the first FBI Agent charged with espionage.
On June 24, 2001 President George W. Bush
nominated Judge Bonner as Commissioner of the United States Customs Service
, later known as U.S. Customs and Border Protection
. He announced his resignation from that position on September 28, 2005, having served four years which included the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the transfer of the Customs Service to that department, and retired on November 25, 2005.
He is now (again) a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
. In 2006, he was hired by Representative Jerry Lewis
, who has been linked to an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (see Jerry Lewis - Lowery lobbying firm controversy
). On August 12, 2007, he was named by the Rudy Giuliani
Presidential Committee as a member of the campaign's "Immigration Advisory Board."
On June 4, 2009, Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano
appointed him to the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Southwest Border Task Force. He is currently the Senior Principal of the Sentinel HS Group, a Washington, D.C.-based homeland security consulting firm.
Bonner is the co-chair of a private task force on U.S.-Mexico border issues that has called for a federal ban on many semi-automatic firearms.
Bonner, who runs 3 miles a day, enjoys playing tennis and chess, a game he says he mastered while serving in the US Navy on board an aircraft carrier.
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
, former Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration
Drug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
and former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the California Institute of Technology and former Chair of the California Commission on Judicial Performance.
Biography
Judge Bonner was born in WichitaWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He grew up in Wichita where his father practiced law and his mother was a school teacher. He credits his mother for infusing him with a strong commitment to public service. He received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 1963 and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in 1966. He was a law clerk for Albert Lee Stephens, Jr.
Albert Lee Stephens, Jr.
Albert Lee Stephens Jr. was a United States federal judge, President John F. Kennedy's first appointee to the federal courtBorn in Los Angeles, California, Stephens was the son of Judge Albert Lee Stephens, Sr...
of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California
United States District Court for the Southern District of California
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties in California: Imperial and San Diego. In terms of filed indictments, it is one of the busiest criminal districts in the United States...
from 1966 to 1967. He was on active duty in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General Corps from 1967-1971, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, USNR. During that time, he served for nearly two years on an aircraft carrier, the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42). He was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California
The United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
from 1971 to 1975, and then went into private practice in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
for nine years. Afterwards he became the U.S. Attorney for the same district in 1984. As a U.S. Attorney, he worked closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration on two record-breaking money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
cases, Operations Pisces and Polar Cap, and had led the prosecution team against the killers of a DEA special agent.
On February 28, 1989, Bonner was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to be a federal judge for California's Central District, to a seat vacated by Pamela Ann Rymer
Pamela Ann Rymer
Pamela Ann Rymer was a United States federal judge.Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Rymer earned an A.B. from Vassar College in 1961 and an LL.B. from Stanford Law School in 1964. She was Director of Political Research and Analysis for the Goldwater for President Committee in 1964...
. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on May 18, 1989, and received commission on May 24, 1989. Judge Bonner resigned on August 12, 1990, to be reassigned to a new position, and on May 11, 1990, President Bush nominated him to be Administrator of the DEA. He was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on July 27, 1990 and sworn in as the DEA's fifth Administrator on August 13, 1990. Bonner served as Administrator from August 16, 1990 to October 31, 1993.
In November 1993, just after leaving his post as head of the DEA, Judge Bonner appeared on 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
and criticized the CIA for permitting a drug shipment to the U.S. without first notifying and securing the approval of the DEA
DEA
DEA is the commonly used acronym for the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States law enforcement agency.DEA or Dea may also refer to:- Organizations :* DEA , UK development education charity...
.
From 1993 to 2001, Judge Bonner was a partner in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm is one of the most prestigious and selective in the nation, and ranks among the most successful firms globally. Gibson Dunn has nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world,...
, an international law firm. His practice focused on business and white-collar crime
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
matters, complex civil cases, internal corporate investigations, and corporate compliance programs. Among his clients were Con-Agra, Waste Management, Occidental Petroleum Chairman Ray Irani, the University of Southern California and the City of Thousand Oaks. He defended Heidi Fleiss
Heidi Fleiss
Heidi Lynne Fleiss is an American former madam, and also a columnist and television personality regularly featured in the 1990s in American media. She is often referred to as the "Hollywood Madam"....
in her federal tax evasion prosecution and prosecuted the first FBI Agent charged with espionage.
On June 24, 2001 President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
nominated Judge Bonner as Commissioner of the United States Customs Service
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
, later known as U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
. He announced his resignation from that position on September 28, 2005, having served four years which included the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the transfer of the Customs Service to that department, and retired on November 25, 2005.
He is now (again) a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is a global law firm, founded in Los Angeles in 1890. The firm is one of the most prestigious and selective in the nation, and ranks among the most successful firms globally. Gibson Dunn has nearly 1,000 attorneys and over 2,000 staff located in 17 offices around the world,...
. In 2006, he was hired by Representative Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (politician)
Charles Jeremy Lewis is the U.S. Representative for , and previously the 40th, 35th and 37th, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, serving in the role during the 109th Congress.-Early life, education, and...
, who has been linked to an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (see Jerry Lewis - Lowery lobbying firm controversy
Jerry Lewis - Lowery lobbying firm controversy
The Jerry Lewis – Lowery lobbying firm controversy stems from the relationship between Congressman Jerry Lewis and a lobbying firm, known as Copeland Lowery Jacquez Denton & White, where good friend and former U.S...
). On August 12, 2007, he was named by the Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
Presidential Committee as a member of the campaign's "Immigration Advisory Board."
On June 4, 2009, Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is the third and current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She is the fourth person to hold the position, which was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the 21st...
appointed him to the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Southwest Border Task Force. He is currently the Senior Principal of the Sentinel HS Group, a Washington, D.C.-based homeland security consulting firm.
Bonner is the co-chair of a private task force on U.S.-Mexico border issues that has called for a federal ban on many semi-automatic firearms.
Bonner, who runs 3 miles a day, enjoys playing tennis and chess, a game he says he mastered while serving in the US Navy on board an aircraft carrier.