Marisa Ong

Marisa Ong is Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber, where she is part of the firm’s Personal Injury, Civil Rights, Mass Torts, and Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking practice groups.

Before joining the firm, she served for over 14 years with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico in the Las Cruces office. In that role, she supervised a group of attorneys in the Violent and General Crimes sectors, as well as oversaw case intake for the entire office. Her prosecutorial work concentrated on cases involving victims, including child exploitation, sex trafficking, violent crime, and civil rights violations.

During her time as a federal prosecutor, Ms. Ong handled some of the most high-profile cases in the district including the prosecution of Jesse Denver Hanes who received a life sentence after he shot and killed Officer Jose Chavez in Hatch, NM. She also led the successful prosecutions of numerous child exploitation offenders, including Michael Blackburn and Jeffrey Biddle, both of whom received life or near-life sentences for crimes involving minors. More recently, Ms. Ong has concentrated her practice on civil rights cases involving law enforcement officers who willfully violate individuals’ constitutional rights. Complementing her litigation work, she has led a wide variety of trainings for federal law enforcement personnel, including attorneys at the United States Attorney’s Office. Ms. Ong has also first-chaired numerous federal jury trials and has briefed and argued many cases to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is also actively engaged in community outreach efforts focused on promoting child safety and expanding access to legal education.

Ms. Ong earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2009, where she was a part of the Latino Students Association, participated in Campbell Moot Court, and volunteered for the Family Law Project. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Legal Reasoning from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she competed nationally on the mock trial team and interned at the El Paso District Attorney’s Office. She is admitted to practice in the state of Colorado, the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

On her off time, Ms. Ong enjoys spending time with her husband, Tyler, and their daughter, Josephine. An avid runner and traveler, she counts Croatia among her favorite destinations and once completed a half-marathon in 1 hour and 41 minutes.

• September 2018: Recognized with a special award for exceptional advocacy during oral argument in United States v. Blackburn, 785 F. App'x 539 (10th Cir. Aug. 23, 2019). This case involved the conviction of Blackburn for multiple counts of producing child pornography.
• September 2019: Received a Special Act Award for making a high-quality, significant contribution and demonstrating sustained high-level performance in the prosecution of Daniel Lowell. Lowell pleaded guilty to multiple charges including high-speed flight at a checkpoint, carjacking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lowell's flight resulted in the death of retired LCPD Officer J.R. Stewart.
• February 2020: Honored with an FBI award for outstanding assistance in a joint investigation leading to the prosecution of Dain Adams, who was convicted by jury trial of multiple child exploitation offenses.
• August 2023: Presented with a Special Act Award for a high-quality contribution to the prosecution of Oscar Orrantia. Orrantia, a former Customs and Border Protection officer, was convicted by jury trial of willfully violating an individual's constitutional rights through unlawful excessive force.
• September 2023: Recognized by the FBI with an award for outstanding prosecutorial skills and assistance to the agency in my role as a Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA).
• September 2023: Received a special award from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for prosecuting Michael Rivera, recognized as the 2022 HSI SAC El Paso Child Exploitation Case of the Year. Rivera was convicted by jury trial of multiple child exploitation crimes.

Affiliations

Former Member, Committee for the Local Rules for the District of New Mexico

Detailed to Provide Security for President Joe Biden's August 2023 Visit to Albuquerque