Desiree Wilson

Biography

I am a defense attorney with approximately fifteen (15) years of experience. My practice, Foley & Wilson Law Firm, is an established law practice with locations in Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. I regularly practice in the Federal Courts in multiple United States Districts.

I previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney (federal prosecutor) where I prosecuted multiple significant federal cases in federal court. I also served as Senior Assistant Appellate Counsel for the Office of the Public Defender in Wyoming, winning reversals of my client’s convictions on appeal in many of the cases I briefed and argued.

As a defense attorney, I bring my major crimes trial and appellate experience to your case – only now, to your benefit. I use my knowledge of the way criminal and non-criminal investigations are handled from the agency, law enforcement, and prosecution side to your advantage. I am able to identify weaknesses in investigations in the State’s or the Government’s case against you which other attorneys may not see.

My Background:

I studied zoology and physiology at the University of Wyoming before attending law school. I graduated with honors, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa (an honor society dedicated to excellence in the liberal arts and sciences and a champion of free thought) and was named as an Outstanding Graduate by both the Department of Zoology and the College of Arts & Sciences.

I attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School as a Levy Scholar, an award bestowed upon only a handful of incoming law students per year. I represented the student body while in law school as a student representative, a faculty representative, and I also served as chair of the Ambassador Committee of Phi Alpha Delta, a legal fraternity dedicated to service and excellence in the profession of law. Finally, I served as a student ombudsperson, acting as a neutral bridge in disputes between law students and the University.

While enrolled as a law student, I also attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Center for Bioethics, and earned a Master’s Degree in Bioethics.

I utilize my background in science to this day in my legal career. I am able to bring a uniquely nuanced scientific understanding to your case. I have the ability to speak knowledgeably with scientific and medical experts and witnesses and to identify deficits in opposing medical and expert testimony, when the situation calls for it.

Upon graduating law school, I served in a clerkship for the Honorable Stephen G. Baratta in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. After completing that clerkship, I worked at a civil defense law firm in Allentown, Pennsylvania. One of my notable accomplishments while at Post & Schell, P.C. was assuming responsibility for the defense of several law enforcement officers who were sued for civil rights violations. Despite the case being in its advanced stages when I took it on, I was able to secure immunity for the officers and won dismissal of many of the claims against them.

I then served as a permanent law clerk to a well-respected federal district court judge, the Honorable Clarence A. Brimmer. In that capacity, I handled both civil and criminal federal matters, gaining significant legal writing experience with the mentorship of this accomplished federal judge. Under his guidance, I also further refined my legal research skills. When the Honorable Clarence A. Brimmer neared retirement, I joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming as an Assistant United States Attorney.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, I primarily prosecuted violent crimes arising on one of the most violent Indian Reservations in the United States: the Wind River Indian Reservation. I also handled drug and gun, federal wildlife, white collar, child exploitation, and sex offender failure to register cases. In that capacity, I worked closely with FBI Special Agents, Bureau of Indian Affairs Special Agents, United States Fish and Wildlife Agents, and Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agents. I provided guidance to Special Agents on active federal investigations with an eye towards building and prosecuting the strongest case possible.

While I was an Assistant United States Attorney, I provided annual training and instruction to FBI Special Agents, Bureau of Indian Affairs Special Agents, and other federal agents regarding Fourth Amendment search and seizure law, federal jurisdiction, and legal evidentiary matters. I gained significant experience in the federal courts as a federal prosecutor, earning convictions in numerous high-stakes cases and protecting convictions on appeal before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. I was recognized by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department with an award for my role in successfully prosecuting a case which drew from a multi-year joint undercover investigation and operation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Office and the Game & Fish Departments.

After leaving the United States Attorney’s Office, I worked at the trial level as a criminal defense attorney and thereafter, served as Senior Assistant Appellate Counsel for the Wyoming Office of the Public Defender. I appeared and argued countless times before the Wyoming Supreme Court. Multiple appearances were on the appeal of complex and/or high-profile cases. I won reversals for my clients in over 30% of the cases I briefed and argued (compared to a national average of approximately 10% for criminal appeals).

Notably, I handled the appeal of John v. State, 2020 WY 46 (2020), a precedent-setting case which created and established the procedural mechanism for Wyoming’s stand-your-ground and self-defense statute. John v. State resulted in a favorable interpretation of the self-defense statute which protects people who used deadly or non-deadly force to defend themselves. The appeal I handled secured complete immunity for Mr. John from prosecution for first degree murder.

I now put all of these skills to use in defending your case, with an understanding of federal service and its administrative mechanisms, efficiently spotting deficits and weaknesses in criminal and non-criminal investigations, capitalizing on Fourth Amendment search and seizure or other procedural violations which may have taken place in your case, and utilizing the trial and litigation skills I gained while working as a federal prosecutor and as an appellate attorney. I draw upon my multi-faceted background handling with success high profile, high-stakes cases as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney. With over 15 years of experience at both the federal and state levels, I am able to prepare a thorough and comprehensive defense strategy. I bring all of my skills to your defense, using a depth and breadth of expertise which helps me aggressively defend my clients and their rights.

Education

• University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • J.D. – 2008
• University of Wyoming
  • B.S., Bachelor of Science
• University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Master of Bioethics Degree, Philadephia, Pennsylvania
  • 2008

Bar Admissions

• Florida, 2020
• Wyoming, 2011
• Pennsylvania, 2008
• U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
• U.S. District Court District of Wyoming
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
• Wyoming Supreme Court