Brett L. Tolman is the executive director for Right on Crime. He was a leading figure in the drafting and passage of the First Step Act, one of the most sweeping reforms of the federal criminal justice system in decades. Tolman continues to advise the White House and many members of Congress on such issues. He is an attorney and founder of the Tolman Group focusing on public policy and government reform. Previously, he was a shareholder at Ray Quinney and Nebeker and served as chair of the firm’s White Collar, Corporate Compliance, and Government Investigations section. For the past 10 years, Tolman has defended corporations and executives in all manner of state and federal criminal and regulatory actions across the country.
Prior to entering private practice, Tolman was appointed by President George Bush in 2006 as the United States Attorney for the District of Utah and held that office for nearly 4 years from 2006-2009. As U.S. Attorney, he was responsible for cutting-edge cases addressing such issues as international adoption fraud, mortgage fraud, international marriage fraud, sex and human trafficking, terrorism, and breaches of national security. In 2009 he handled the prosecution of Brian David Mitchell, the alleged kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart. From 2008-2009 he was selected by Attorney General Michael Mukasey to serve as special advisor to the attorney general on national and international policy issues affecting United States attorneys and the Department of Justice. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Tolman served as chief counsel for crime and terrorism to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.
During his career, Tolman has testified multiple times in the United States Congress and assisted in drafting and passing many pieces of legislation affecting state and federal criminal justice systems. These include the First Step Act of 2018, the Corrections Act, the Sentencing Reform Act, the Justice for All Act of 2004, Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (2005), the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, and the Adam Walsh Protection and Safety Act (2006). He is a frequent contributor on Fox News and No Spin News with Bill O’Reilly.