| Jonathan Hatami | |
| Birth Name: | Jonathan Amir Hatami |
| Birth Date: | 15 December 1969 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican (before 2022) Democratic (2022–present) |
| Spouse: | Roxanne |
| Children: | 2 |
| Education: | Monterey Peninsula College (AS) California State University, Northridge (BA) University of Nebraska (JD) |
| Allegiance: |  United States |
| Serviceyears: | 1989–1996 |
| Rank: | Staff sergeant |
| Unit: | Infantry (11B) Military Police Corps (95B) |
Jonathan "Jon" Amir Hatami (born December 15, 1969) is an American prosecutor who is a Deputy District Attorney in the Complex Child Abuse Section in the office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney. Hatami has prosecuted prominent child abuse cases, including the one depicted in the 2020 Netflix documentary The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. On March 29, 2023, Hatami announced his 2024 campaign for Los Angeles County District Attorney in Whittier, California.[1] [2]
Hatami was born in Manhattan and raised in California. During that time, he was a victim of child abuse. After graduating from high school in 1989, he served in the United States Army for seven years, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. Hatami earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law. Hatami later returned to California to practice civil law and joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office under District Attorney Steve Cooley.
Jonathan Hatami was born on December 15, 1969, in New York City.[3] [4] His father was originally from Iran and emigrated to the United States. His mother was born in Brooklyn, New York. In early life, he suffered child abuse from his father.[5] Hatami’s father has been described as having screamed at him, called him names, hit him, yanked him by his hair, and smashed him into walls in their apartment.[6]
Hatami’s parents separated and battled for custody of their children. His mother was granted temporary custody. Fearing that Hatami’s father would flee with the children to Iran, Hatami’s mother kidnapped Hatami and his brother and flew to Florida. His mother left her two children in the custody of a stranger who also abused them. After a month in Florida, Hatami’s mother came back, and the family moved to California.
Hatami’s father searched for the two children, contacting the NYPD, FBI, and other groups; Hatami and his brother were listed as missing children in an edition of Ladies’ Home Journal. In the early 1980’s, someone recognized Hatami and his brother, leading to a reunion with Hatami’s father.[7] [8]
Hatami graduated from Canyon High School in Santa Clarita, California.[9]
After graduating from high school in 1989, Hatami enlisted in the United States Army as a private.[10] [11] He was honorably discharged in 1996. Hatami was in the infantry before transferring to the Military Police Corps, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He was largely stationed in South Korea but also served in Panama, Guantanamo Bay, during the 1991 Haitian refugee crisis, and Los Angeles during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
In 2012, Hatami ran for the Santa Clarita City Council as a Republican candidate. During the campaign, he was asked about his biggest weakness, to which he replied, "I'm too conservative."[12] A few months later, at an endorsement event, he said "Bottom line, hands down, I am the second most conservative person on this panel."[12] Throughout the campaign, Hatami regularly campaigned to address immigration issues in Santa Clarita. He advocated for an E-Verify system for employers to use in hiring.[13] He also advocated for cooperation with the federal government to assign an ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agent to Santa Clarita to address immigration-related concerns.[13] Hatami changed his political affiliation and re-registered as a Democrat before announcing his candidacy for the Los Angeles District Attorney's office. Hatami finished last among the five candidates for the Santa Clarita City Council.[12]
After completing his military service, Hatami returned to California and enrolled at the College of the Canyons, where he developed an interest in criminal justice.[14] He transferred to California State University to complete his undergraduate degree. Hatami received a full scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska College of Law, graduating with a J.D. degree in 2002.
Following graduation, Hatami clerked for Judge Sievers of the Nebraska Court of Appeals for one year.[14] He moved back to Los Angeles, California, to practice law as a civil attorney. When Hatami’s firm opened an office in New York, he practiced there for a year, then returned to California to continue his practice.
In 2006, after three years of practice as a civil attorney, Hatami applied for an opening in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.[15] He began working in East Los Angeles, then El Monte, and then Van Nuys before getting a permanent assignment in the Antelope Valley, Southern California. After working in the Antelope Valley, Hatami was transferred to the Complex Child Abuse Unit of the Family Violence Division in the District Attorney’s office in Downtown Los Angeles in 2016.[16]
See also: Murder of Gabriel Fernandez.
On May 22, 2013, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, covered in injuries, was rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital, then flown to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.[17] [18] [19] Two days later, he was declared brain dead and taken off life support.[20] Gabriel’s mother, Pearl Fernandez, and her live-in boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre, were arrested and charged with Gabriel’s torture and murder.[21]
In September 2017, the trials of Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre commenced, with Hatami and Deputy District Attorney Scott Yang leading the prosecution.[22] [23] After four months, Isauro Aguirre was found guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of torture and was sentenced to death.[24] [25] [26] Pearl Fernandez pleaded guilty to all charges and allegations, agreeing to waive all her appellate rights, in exchange for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.[27] [28]
In April 2021, Pearl Fernandez applied to be re-sentenced under California Penal Code Section 1170.95.[29] [30] Pearl Fernandez’s petition was denied by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli in June 2021.[31] [32]
See also: Killing of Anthony Avalos.
In 2018, two weeks after the sentencing of Pearl Fernandez and Isauro Aguirre, Hatami received a call from an Antelope Valley Hospital nurse.[33] The nurse told Hatami that what happened to Gabriel happened again to another boy. 10-year-old Anthony Avalos was found dead in the home of his mother, Heather Barron, and her live-in boyfriend, Kareem Leiva.[34] [35] Both Barron and Leiva were arrested and charged in the child’s torture and murder.[36] Hatami said that "it was just very disappointing, deflating, sad..."
Anthony’s trial commenced in January 2023.[37] On March 7, 2023, Heather Barron and Kareem Leiva were found guilty of the torture and murder of Anthony Avalos.[38] Barron and Leiva were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole on April 25, 2023. Although originally a death penalty case, Governor Gavin Newsom has implemented a moratorium on capital punishment and District Attorney George Gascón has issued a directive for prosecutors not to seek it.[39] [40] [41]
In 2019, four-year-old Noah Cuatro was found dead in his apartment. His parents claimed that he drowned in the pool of his apartment complex.[42] Both Noah’s mother, Ursula Juarez, and father, Jose Cuatro, were arrested and charged with their torturing, sexually assaulting, and murdering of a 4-year-old.[43] The case is still ongoing.[44] Hatami is leading the prosecution of Juarez and Cuatro.
See also: Child sexual abuse and Restitution.
As a Deputy District Attorney, Hatami helped change state law to provide increased restitution for victims of child sexual abuse in California[45] [46] through Hatami’s successful prosecution and conviction of Renoir Valenti in 2014.[47] [48]
In 2014, Renoir Valenti, an Antelope Valley youth soccer coach, was convicted of molesting 15 young boys over a period of 17 years. As a result of Valenti’s conviction in 2014, the 15 victims were awarded restitution by the court. In 2016, some of the victims were unable to receive restitution from the court due to a loophole in state law that does not allow child victims of sexual assault to receive restitution that would cover mental health services.[49]
Hatami, along with the Los Angeles District Attorney and the Crime Victims Action Alliance, partnered with California State Senator Henry Stern to introduce a bill to change the law. California State Senate Bill 756 received support from law enforcement and district attorneys throughout the state of California. The bill also received unanimous approval from members of both the State Assembly and Senate. On July 21, 2017, Senate Bill 756 was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown and took effect on January 1, 2018.[50]
On March 29, 2023, Hatami announced his 2024 campaign for Los Angeles County District Attorney in Whittier, California.
Hatami is married to Roxanne, a sheriff’s detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whom Hatami met in an Antelope Valley courtroom when Roxanne was a bailiff.[9] They have two children and attend Lancaster Baptist Church.[51] [52]