Federal Defense Attorneys
Northern District

Diane Bass practices federal criminal defense in the Central District of California, along with the Northern and Eastern Districts. Her office is in Irvine, and Santa Ana is her home court. She has been practicing since 1991, with a focus on federal fraud cases. Diane began her legal career in civil litigation before moving to the public defender's office, then joined the federal criminal defense panel, where she built a practice across every category of federal case. She treats mitigation as central to her work, not an afterthought: she has clients write their own life story, gathers character letters, and submits mitigation materials to the probation officer before the pre-sentence interview. Watch the full video interview above to hear Diane talk about her approach to communication, mitigation, and what she wants every client to know before they call her.

Karren Kenney is a federal criminal defense attorney, Certified Fraud Examiner, and founder of Kenney Legal Defense. With more than 30 years of courtroom experience and over 100 jury trials, she represents individuals, professionals, business owners, and corporate clients facing federal investigations and criminal charges throughout California and across the United States. Karren’s federal practice includes complex fraud, health care and hospice fraud, wire and mail fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, public corruption, immigration offenses, firearms cases, government benefit fraud, drug trafficking, and other serious federal crimes. She also represents clients during federal investigations, grand jury investigations, search warrants, pre-indictment negotiations, detention and bond proceedings, plea negotiations, trials, and sentencing. As both an experienced trial lawyer and a Certified Fraud Examiner, Karren is particularly skilled at analyzing financial records, identifying weaknesses in government investigations, and translating complicated evidence into a clear and persuasive defense. She understands that a federal case cannot be defended effectively by focusing only on the indictment. The government’s evidence, investigative methods, witnesses, financial records, and theory of intent must all be tested carefully. Karren believes preparation begins long before trial or sentencing. She works closely with clients to understand their history, family, career, medical circumstances, and the events that led to the case. When sentencing becomes necessary, she develops mitigation as an integral part of the defense strategy, not as a last-minute collection of character letters. Her goal is to present the client as a complete human being while giving the court credible reasons for the most favorable sentence permitted by law. Communication is also central to Karren’s practice. Federal cases can be frightening and overwhelming, particularly for clients and families encountering the criminal justice system for the first time. She makes it a priority to explain what is happening, what the government must prove, and what decisions lie ahead so that clients can participate meaningfully in their own defense. Karren is also the creator and host of the Legal Vixen™ podcast, where she draws on decades of courtroom experience to discuss criminal cases, trial strategy, constitutional rights, and the realities of the justice system. Through candid conversations with attorneys, judges, courtroom professionals, and other guests, she helps listeners understand how the legal system operates beyond the headlines. Karren is licensed to practice law in California, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Her principal office is in Orange County, California, with satellite offices in San Diego and Houston. She represents clients in federal courts throughout California and nationwide.

Michael John Khouri is an attorney with Khouri Law Firm APC in Irvine, California. His practice includes criminal defense, professional licensing defense, and representation of healthcare providers in Medicare and Medi-Cal audits and fraud matters. He has tried more than 100 cases. Khouri began his legal career as a Deputy District Attorney in Orange County, focusing on police conduct in narcotics cases. He argued People v. Bravo before the California Supreme Court. In private practice, he has defended clients in federal and state courts in matters ranging from violent crimes to complex healthcare fraud, including cases involving billing practices, narcotics, and patient assault. He lectures nationally and serves on the indigent defense panel for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. He holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell.