SAN DIEGO--Thomas Jefferson School of Law will award a juris doctor degree to Lt. Richard Crane of the United States Navy, who interrupted his legal education last spring to deploy to Baghdad and join the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force-Iraq. Crane will join about 180 Thomas Jefferson graduates on Saturday, May 7, at 10:30 a.m. at San Diego’s historic Balboa Park Organ Pavilion.

A year ago, Crane received word that he was being deployed to Baghdad, leaving him only eight days to arrange his leave of absence with the law school and to prepare his finances and family for a six month separation. His mission in Iraq was to find, seize and disrupt and/or deny financing to terrorists, insurgents or former regime supporters who profited at the expense of the Iraqi people.

Crane worked alongside special agents from the FBI, the U.S. Treasury, and the Armed Forces Criminal Investigative Task Force. Crane said, “Utilizing former regime records and coalition friendly informants, our task force gathered information that resulted in the seizure of more than 20 million in cash and property that had been stolen by Saddam Hussein’s regime.” The funds were returned to the Iraqi people to build new bridges, to upgrade infrastructure and to train Iraqis who would be charged the maintenance and operation. “Even under rocket, mortar, or small arms fire, these agents and soldiers kept to their mission of establishing a just system fair to all Iraqis while providing the assets to rebuild a crippled country,” said Crane of the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force.

Crane received his bachelor of science degree in general studies from Elcelsior College in 1995 and his masters in management from The Troy State University in 1997. His academic achievements at Thomas Jefferson include participating in the Pro Bono Honors Award Program.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law, located in Old Town, is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

# # #

<< Back to list