Ann Fitz
Encyclopedia
Ann Marie Fitz is an American criminal defense attorney and television personality who often appears as a legal expert on national cable news programs.
, but moved with her mom, Deborah DeBow, to Atlanta, Georgia
in 1987 at the age of 10.
She graduated from George Walton Comprehensive High School
in 1995, received her bachelor's degree from Furman University
in 1999, where she double-majored in English and Communications, and earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the Walter F. George School of Law
at Mercer University in 2003. She is licensed to practice law in Georgia, New York and California. She is a former Assistant District Attorney and started her own law firm, The Federal Law Group, in 2007.
Her interest in criminal law began when she served as a juror on a vehicular homicide case while in college. She has handled many high-profile cases and has drawn the local and national spotlight with her legal representation, having been the subject of articles in the Fulton County Daily Report
, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Rolling Stone Magazine, and Wired Magazine, and featured in stories aired on WXIA-TV
, WSB-TV
and AM 750, as well as on CBS's primetime news magazine 48 Hours Mystery and NBC Nightly News
.
under the stolen identity of a missing woman named Brooke Henson from Travelers Rest, South Carolina
. Reed's exploits drew the national spotlight when she was listed as a United States Secret Service
's 10 most wanted fugitive and became the subject of articles in the New York Post
and Rolling Stone Magazine, as well as being featured on America's Most Wanted
and two 48 Hours Mystery episodes, Capture the Queen in 2007, and Catch Her If You Can in 2009. Fitz argued that Reed's behavior was a result of mental illness caused by a strict family upbringing. Reed was facing a potential 47 years in prison, entered a plea of guilty to 4 felony counts and received a sentence of 51 months. In March 2010 it was confirmed that Amanda Seyfried
had signed-on to play Reed in an upcoming movie based on Reed's life, The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League.
In 2009, Fitz launched a constitutional challenge against a provision in Georgia's sex offender registration law mirroring the Adam Walsh Act, which required that an individual convicted of kidnapping or false imprisonment of a minor without an underlying sexual offense is subject to lifetime registration as a convicted sex offender. On March 15, 2010, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law in a 5-2 decision, based on a United States Department of Justice
report finding that 46% of all kidnapping and false imprisonment of minor cases involve some type of sexual offense; however, the dissent noted that because registration limits where offenders may live, work and congregate, it "is not a requirement that should be imposed cavalierly", and a statutory scheme that has an "error rate of over 50% is clearly not rational". On March 16, 2010, Georgia's House passed a bill that would remedy the issue with a vote of 165-1. The bill was subsequently passed unanimously by the Senate and signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue
on May 20, 2010.
Fitz took on another difficult case in 2009 defending a Forsyth County, Georgia
deputy sergeant who had been framed by the Sheriff’s Office with federal charges for possessing and receiving child porn after he announced that he intended to run against the incumbent Sheriff in the 2008 election. Fitz filed a bombshell Motion for New Trial alleging that crucial evidence had been destroyed and withheld from the defense. The Motion resulted in the termination of the Forsyth County employee responsible for withholding the evidence.
, MSNBC
, CNN
, and HLN
, and appeared as a regular guest on truTV's In Session, formerly CourtTV, from 2009-2011. She substantially contributed to HLN's coverage of the Conrad Murray trial in 2011.
In addition to national programming, Fitz has appeared as a legal expert in local shows airing on WAGA-TV
and AM 640 WGST in Atlanta.
Her opinion has also been cited in various print and online articles, locally (The Gainesville Times) , nationally (CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°
) , and internationally (London's The Daily Telegraph
and the International Business Times
) .
In 2011, Fitz signed as a contributing author to a new criminal practice guidebook, to be published by Matthew Bender in 2012.
Background
Fitz, an only child, was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, but moved with her mom, Deborah DeBow, to Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1987 at the age of 10.
She graduated from George Walton Comprehensive High School
George Walton Comprehensive High School
George Walton Comprehensive High School, usually referred to simply as "Walton High School," is public high school located in suburban Marietta, Georgia in the United States. It resides in eastern Cobb County and is a charter school in the Cobb County School District. It is a School of Excellence...
in 1995, received her bachelor's degree from Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
in 1999, where she double-majored in English and Communications, and earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the Walter F. George School of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
The Walter F. George School of Law of Mercer University, founded in 1873, is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and is the second oldest of Mercer's eleven colleges and schools. The School of Law, with approximately 420 students, is located in Macon, Georgia on its own campus one...
at Mercer University in 2003. She is licensed to practice law in Georgia, New York and California. She is a former Assistant District Attorney and started her own law firm, The Federal Law Group, in 2007.
Her interest in criminal law began when she served as a juror on a vehicular homicide case while in college. She has handled many high-profile cases and has drawn the local and national spotlight with her legal representation, having been the subject of articles in the Fulton County Daily Report
Fulton County Daily Report
The Fulton County Daily Report, also referred to as the Daily Report, is a daily legal newspaper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The newspaper was established in 1890.1The paper covers Georgia legal and business news...
, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Rolling Stone Magazine, and Wired Magazine, and featured in stories aired on WXIA-TV
WXIA-TV
WXIA-TV, virtual channel 11.1 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Atlanta, Georgia. Popularly known by its 11 Alive moniker, WXIA is owned by the Gannett Company in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate WATL...
, WSB-TV
WSB-TV
WSB-TV, virtual channel 2.1 , is the ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship television station of Cox Enterprises and its Cox Media Group subsidiary...
and AM 750, as well as on CBS's primetime news magazine 48 Hours Mystery and NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News
NBC Nightly News is the flagship daily evening television news program for NBC News and broadcasts. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is located in the center...
.
Notable Cases
Perhaps the best-known case Fitz has defended was the federal identity fraud case against Esther Elizabeth Reed, who had conned her way into Harvard and Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
under the stolen identity of a missing woman named Brooke Henson from Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Travelers Rest is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,099 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. "TR", as the city is known around the area, is just north of Greenville...
. Reed's exploits drew the national spotlight when she was listed as a United States Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
's 10 most wanted fugitive and became the subject of articles in the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and Rolling Stone Magazine, as well as being featured on America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
and two 48 Hours Mystery episodes, Capture the Queen in 2007, and Catch Her If You Can in 2009. Fitz argued that Reed's behavior was a result of mental illness caused by a strict family upbringing. Reed was facing a potential 47 years in prison, entered a plea of guilty to 4 felony counts and received a sentence of 51 months. In March 2010 it was confirmed that Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
had signed-on to play Reed in an upcoming movie based on Reed's life, The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League.
In 2009, Fitz launched a constitutional challenge against a provision in Georgia's sex offender registration law mirroring the Adam Walsh Act, which required that an individual convicted of kidnapping or false imprisonment of a minor without an underlying sexual offense is subject to lifetime registration as a convicted sex offender. On March 15, 2010, the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the law in a 5-2 decision, based on a United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
report finding that 46% of all kidnapping and false imprisonment of minor cases involve some type of sexual offense; however, the dissent noted that because registration limits where offenders may live, work and congregate, it "is not a requirement that should be imposed cavalierly", and a statutory scheme that has an "error rate of over 50% is clearly not rational". On March 16, 2010, Georgia's House passed a bill that would remedy the issue with a vote of 165-1. The bill was subsequently passed unanimously by the Senate and signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....
on May 20, 2010.
Fitz took on another difficult case in 2009 defending a Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat is Cumming, Georgia. Forsyth County is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
deputy sergeant who had been framed by the Sheriff’s Office with federal charges for possessing and receiving child porn after he announced that he intended to run against the incumbent Sheriff in the 2008 election. Fitz filed a bombshell Motion for New Trial alleging that crucial evidence had been destroyed and withheld from the defense. The Motion resulted in the termination of the Forsyth County employee responsible for withholding the evidence.
Television, Radio and Print
Since 2006 Fitz has served as a legal analyst on various cable television news programs on the Fox News ChannelFox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and HLN
HLN
HLN can refer to*HLN , a cable network formerly known as Headline News*The IATA airport code for Helena Regional Airport*The Horizon League Network—see Horizon League#Horizon League Network*The shorthand notation of Phenolphthalein...
, and appeared as a regular guest on truTV's In Session, formerly CourtTV, from 2009-2011. She substantially contributed to HLN's coverage of the Conrad Murray trial in 2011.
In addition to national programming, Fitz has appeared as a legal expert in local shows airing on WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV
WAGA-TV, virtual channel 5.1 is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Television Network and based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
and AM 640 WGST in Atlanta.
Her opinion has also been cited in various print and online articles, locally (The Gainesville Times) , nationally (CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360°
Anderson Cooper 360° is a one-hour television news show on CNN, hosted by the American journalist Anderson Cooper. It is also broadcast around the world on CNN International....
) , and internationally (London's The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
and the International Business Times
International Business Times
The International Business Times is an online global business newspaper, published in 17 editions in 10 languages across 13 countries. The publication, sometimes called IBTimes, offers news, analysis and editorial commentary on business and business related stories...
) .
In 2011, Fitz signed as a contributing author to a new criminal practice guidebook, to be published by Matthew Bender in 2012.