About David J. Kiyonaga

I mainly practice criminal defense. As such, I represent individuals and will meet with my
clients regularly during the course of his/her case. It has been gratifying to have my former
clients repeatedly refer family, friends and acquaintances to my office over the years.

I have practiced law for 35 years with the last 22 years in the Washington, DC area, representing
clients in federal and state courts throughout Virginia and Maryland.

Criminal Cases

My criminal practice has run the gamut – representing individuals charged with murder, rape/
sex offenses, drug conspiracy, gang participation, bank and mortgage fraud, immigration fraud,
embezzlement, federal currency reporting, and a variety of other crimes . I will often take my
client’s defense to a trial by jury; however, I also am a firm believer that many criminal charges
are best resolved by plea agreement by which my client is given a lesser charge and often no jail
time. By plea agreement, I seek to lessen future stigma for my clients.

Since I speak Spanish, I have many Hispanic clients and one of my main objectives in
representing Hispanics in criminal matters is to see a resolution that does not result in
deportation.

Further, I am often hired by individuals who are under investigation, but have not yet been criminally charged.  The timely intervention of a lawyer with good negotiating skills can often stop the filing of criminal charges.

Civil Cases

I have a general civil practice with diverse cases.

Presently, I am with a group of attorneys representing U.S. Marines killed or injured in the
terrorist bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon in October, 1983. The plaintiff
Marines have obtained judgments against the Republic of Iran (held responsible for the
bombing) and the attorneys are now moving forward to enforce and collect on the judgments.
U.S. District Court, Washington, D.C., 2012.

In 2011, I represented the adoptive parents of a young child who were being sued for fraud in
federal court in Alexandria, VA along with other defendants. I represented a Cuban mother and
son who were being pursued by the father of the son, a British national who alleged the mother
had abducted the son. The Cuban mother and son were arrested and brought to the federal court
in Alexandria under an action filed pursuant to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of
Child Abduction.

Credentials

Education: Tulane Law School, JD (1975); Georgetown University – BA (1971)

Member of the Bars and Courts:
Virginia Supreme Court
Court of Appeals of Maryland

Florida Bar (retired 1991)
Canal Zone Bar Association, President (1981)
U.S. District Courts in Alexandria, Virginia and Greenbelt, Maryland
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits
Federal Claims Court
United States Supreme Court

Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating:  AV Preeminent  5.0 out of 5.0