John Hanusz

Hanusz is a veteran public interest lawyer who is of counsel at Beck Law PC, representing individuals and corporations in complex investigations and prosecutions. He joined the firm in 2019 after working as a partner at Spertus, Landes & Umhofer LLP and as a federal defender in the Central District.

He’s working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m at home with my attorney wife and our two school-age daughters,” he said. “It’s been fine. This may be the future of law offices—they may be places where you go in once a week, just to keep in touch.”

Hanusz represented a Taiwanese electrical engineer and adjunct UCLA professor accused in a scheme to illegally obtain integrated circuits with military applications that were later exported to China without the required export license. U.S. v. Shih, 2:18-cr-00050 (C.D. Cal., filed Feb. 1, 2018).

Hanusz successfully litigated numerous pretrial motions including related to the rarely-invoked Classified Information Procedures Act. After a six-week trial in 2019—involving six prosecutors and agents representing four federal agencies—Yi-Chi Shih was found guilty of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The jury also found him guilty of mail fraud, wire fraud and other offenses. Following trial, U.S. District Judge John A; Kronstadt of Los Angeles reversed the export counts.

“Dr. Shih won on the most important charges,” Hanusz said. “That will absolutely make a difference at sentencing.”

Hanusz successfully represented on appeal an individual who had been convicted of health care fraud, obtaining from a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel the vacating of the defendant’s 97-month sentence. “The prosecution did not show by clear and convincing evidence that Mirando intended a loss in the full amounts billed, and indeed his uncontradicted testimony was to the contrary,” the panel majority held. U.S. v. Mirando, 17-50386 (9th Cir., op. filed April 9, 2019).

Hanusz also represented a physician accused of receiving kickbacks from a home health care company in exchange for patient referrals. U.S. v. Kanakeswaran, 2:17-cr-00419 (C.D. Cal., filed July 29, 2017).

In an unusual development at trial, Hanusz cross-examined the government’s chief cooperating witness and brought to light numerous acts of dishonesty and perjury. At the conclusion of the cross-examination, U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of Los Angeles ordered the witness detained, finding that the facts elicited during Hanusz’ questioning constituted a violation of the witness’ pretrial release conditions.

“The witness contradicted evidence he gave at his bond proceeding,” Hanusz said. “It was clear to everyone in the courtroom that he’d lied multiple times, and there was no question that we’d successfully impeached him. The judge was concerned about it.”

Hanusz’ client, Kanagasabai Kanakeswaran, was convicted and got a 42-month sentence. “That was below the guidelines,” Hanusz said.

— John Roemer