Adrian Fontes

Adrian Fontes is an Arizona Native with more than ten years experience in Criminal Prosecution, Law Enforcement and Criminal Defense.  His trial experience ranges from simple misdemeanor in Municipal Courts in Denver, Colorado, to Murder and Hostage-Taking cases in the Federal District Court in Arizona.  Adrian has successfully argued cases before Courts as varied as the South Phoenix Justice Court and up to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, California.

Adrian Fontes received an Honorable Discharge from the United States Marine Corps after receiving numerous Certificates of Commendation, Meritorious Masts and a nomination for a Meritorious Commission.  He then focused his attention on completing his undergraduate education at Arizona State University; graduating summa cum laude from the University Honors College in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, focusing on the areas of Rhetoric and Performance Studies.

Mr. Fontes then went on to earn his Juris Doctorate in December, 2000 from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law where he served as President of the Latino Law Student’s Association, Editor-in-Chief of ‘The Writ’ (the law school’s newspaper) and served two terms as student representative to the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association.  While in law school, Mr. Fontes served as a student attorney to nearly a dozen clients in the VAWA funded Domestic Violence Civil Justice Project where he worked in teams with MSW students representing victim clients in Colorado State and Municipal Courts.

After working Deputy District Attorney in Adams County, then in Denver, Colorado, and after returning home to Arizona, he continued his prosecuting career as a Deputy Maricopa County Attorney and an Assistant Attorney General charged with running the Foreign Prosecutions Unit for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.  While at the Attorney General’s Office, Mr. Fontesacted as liaison to several foreign government offices and worked closely with Arizona, Federal and Foreign Law Enforcement in the pursuit of criminal fugitives in Mexico.

Mr. Fontes later owned a private law practice focusing on work in the Federal District Court for the District of Arizona.  During this time he built a host of experience in the highest criminal courts in Arizona.  His work included several high-profile cases covering a wide spectrum of crimes from homicide to narco-terrorism to firearms scandals. 

Adrian Fontes is also a co-founder and owner of Bodega420, a mom-n-pop grocery store attacking the food desert problem that faces downtown Phoenix, Arizona.  Recognized by the USDA as a model project, this endeavor, through Adrian’s efforts, has ignited a new conversation regarding food-distribution and fresh-food access in the Desert Southwest. 

Adrian Fontes is a sought-after legal commentator in the Phoenix area.  His experience as a US Marine, an Assistant Attorney General and a Criminal Defense Attorney uniquely qualify him to add insight into some of the most complex and interesting issues facing the State of Arizona and the Nation.  Mr. Fontes continues to volunteer with local high schools as a guest speaker discussing the US Constitution with High School students and is active in other charitable and fraternal organizations.

Mr. Fontes has been married to his wife since 1993 and enjoys spending quality time with her and their three daughters.