LOS ANGELES — The head of the FBI's Los Angeles field office has formally recused himself from the ongoing federal investigation into fraud and corruption by Tom Girardi and others at his now-defunct law firm, an agency spokesperson confirmed Saturday.
Donald Alway, the assistant director in charge of the L.A. office, sought the recusal from the high-profile investigation after the Los Angeles Times and other news outlets reported that his mother, Michelle Alway, was a former girlfriend and secretary of Girardi. Public records show that she and her son own a home in Monterey County paid for by now-disgraced legal legend.
Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the L.A. field office, said in a statement that Donald Alway "requested recusal and has not and will not be involved in this or any related FBI matter." Eimiller noted that Alway, who previously led the FBI's office in Mississippi, began his current role on Aug. 29, and that the Girardi investigation "largely predates his time in the Los Angeles Division."
