John Anthony Manuel Boneta

Mr. Boneta and his team helped me through my criminal charge with a high level of professionalism. I would definitely recommend his services. First, he guided me in building a portfolio of mitigation that included character references and documentation about me. He also explained all of the Virgin...ia laws and was very knowledgeable about all of the potential outcomes in my case. When court day arrived he helped me navigate through this and in the end negotiate a great outcome with the prosecutor. I was very satisfied with his approach and also how truly cared about my situation and my future. Great lawyer.

I was found sleeping in a parked car in Arlington County and was subsequently charged with a DWI, the second of my history. Even though the vehicle was parked, the officer had probable cause for the stop due to an expired inspection sticker and the fact that I was parked in a permit-only parking resi...dential area. Ultimately, I didn't do so hot on the sobriety tests and blew .11, so I was charged with a DWI 2nd in 10 years, which carries a penalty of a mandatory minimum 10 days in jail plus a 3 year license suspension and 3 year probationary period. Needless to say, my situation was extremely dire, especially considering that Arlington County is one of the toughest, if not THE toughest jurisdictions on DWI in the Commonwealth. I did some research online and met with several attorneys, all of whom told me that my case was hopeless and that I should pay them anyway, which ultimately seemed like a waste of time. My last meeting was with Mr. Boneta, and I immediately felt like if I was going to have a chance at winning this case with anyone, it would be with him. He gave me a list of mitigation activities to complete prior to my court date, which included community service, an alcohol counseling assessment, online traffic school, and the collection of letters of recommendation from professional and personal sources. I completed all of them before my court date, as I knew that this would help my case at least in the sentencing portion of the situation. Once court arrived, I was expecting the worst and made plans as such. I had faith in John, but I knew also that the odds were stacked against me and that the prosecution had a pretty solid case to prove the DWI. However, before court even began, Mr. Boneta was able to negotiate with the prosecutor to count my DWI as a first offense, as my prior had occurred in a different state and thus it was not acceptable to be counted as a first offense. Ultimately, Mr. Boneta got me the absolutely best possible outcome considering the circumstances, which included a single night in jail (180 days sentenced, 176 suspended, 2 total served including the day of arrest), a $500 fine ($1000 suspended), enrollment in the ASAP program, a one year license suspension as opposed to a three year suspension. Upon completion of the suspension there will be no ignition interlock. Mr. Boneta seemed very well-connected at the courthouse and had a good rapport with staff and officials in the courtroom. If you want the best result for your case in Arlington County, go with John Boneta. If you want a lot of possible jail time, high fines, and long-lasting punitive measures thanks to the severity of Arlington County judicial processes, go with pretty much anyone else. John was a fantastic counsel and I am eternally grateful for his help!

I was charged with a DUI in Falls Church City with a .08 and it was looking like it would be unlikely to plea down. In his free consultation Mr. Boneta was very professional and gave me a to-do list of things to do before Court that would help increase the odds of a good outcome. I did all of it (you... should too!) I knew I chose the right attorney when he told me he is a former police officer and prosecutor and specializes in DUI in Falls Church City. This is important because this means everybody in Court knows him and his proximity to the Courthouse makes it easy for him to do his job. He even went out of his way to get my police report to review for my free consultation, before I even decided on him! On the morning of my court date on 10/19 Mr. Boneta was busy meeting with the charging officer, and the County Prosecutor and was able to plea down my DUI to Reckless Driving with only a 6-month restricted license, no ignition interlock, $300 fine ($1200 suspended) and my agreement to do ASAP. That's a lot better than a DUI by far! All that without my case having to go to trial which if it did, and the video was played of my field sobriety test in which I had terrible balance, I would have surely been convicted of the DUI. Mr. Boneta's knowledge, experience and good rapport with everyone in FC City Court saved me. His rate is competitive with other attornies in the area who are also public defenders (although they don't advertise that). If you think you can fight a DUI without a good attorney you will lose. You need John Boneta by your side. Your best chances are with him, particularly in Falls Church City! Thank you, Mr. Boneta!

John absolutely pulled a rabbit out of a hat for me. I was charged with DUI in Falls Church city. John is a former cop and prosecutor in Falls Church City and Arlington. He knows the legal process inside and out from every angle. I learned that this is incredibly important as Falls Church City litera...lly outsources its legal services to Arlington (Arlington judges and prosecutors trudge out to Falls Church City once a week to act as their judges and prosecutors). When he walks into the courthouse he is on a first name basis with all of the judges and cops in there. They love him. They seem to generally dislike most of the other defense attorneys. When you have a court date in Falls Church you are forced to sit there all day and watch the parade of cases. I saw so many bad defense attorneys that got run over by judges and prosecutors. Arlington judges and prosecutors are notoriously tough and that's what I saw all day long. They are especially unrelenting when it comes to DUI cases. The only two cases that had anything less than the maximum penalties were John's cases (my case and one other that was thrown out on a technicality). He used every maneuver he knew and every personal connection he had and I was eventually able to plead me down to a (much) lesser charge. As John says, there might be (a few) lawyers who could get you a similar outcome, but no one will get you a better outcome. You might save a little bit of money at the front end by getting a cheaper attorney, but you will absolutely regret it and pay more over the long term with someone less experienced and less respected. It is absolutely worth every penny to hire John and get the best result possible from the get go.

I made a horrible mistake of drinking and driving after going to a Christmas dinner on December 21, 2015. I was initially pulled over for speeding, but after cop smelled alcohol and conducted the field sobriety test. I was booked soon thereafter and charged with DUI in Fairfax County with a BAC of ...0.10 and 0.11. I was miserable because I had gotten arrested 5 years ago in Arlington County for DUI, but since I only blew 0.05 BAC they gave me a nolle prosequi and amended the charge to a Reckless Driving. I vowed to then never drink and drive ever again. Five years later, here I am getting arrested again with the same offense. I knew I was in trouble and hated myself for it. John was referred to me by a cop in Arlington County, ironically enough. After meeting John and Andrew; the latter attorney is one of his associates at the firm, my initial impression of them were mostly positive. I was impressed with Andrew’s attention to detail and his methodical approach towards strengthening my case. John was a former cop and prosecutor, so I was confident he has the expertise to get the best possible outcome. But I still wasn’t 100% sure they will fight for me all the way. After consulting a few DUI attorneys, I concluded John and Andrew were the best team and retained them as my counsels. After retaining them I made some lifestyle changes and committed to being a good citizen. They advised I be patient during the waiting period, but having a DUI charge lingering over your head made it very challenging. During this time period, John assured me that he was the best DUI lawyer and would do everything in his power to get a favorable outcome and this provided peace and comfort. They advised I start on their mitigation package, which I completed before my court date, but I still didn’t know what was going to happen. The Prosecutor assigned was Fairfax County’s best DUI prosecutor and would not offer a plea deal at all, so my case got continued 3 times. I, unfortunately, ended up getting the same prosecutor again. So we went to trial and the rest is history. John was exceptional once the case went to trial. His opening statement was brilliant, and this really set the tone for the entirety of the trial. I felt like John was a surgeon, knowing the ins and outs about legal elements to suppress and discredit the arresting officer’s testimony. John continued to tear apart officer’s testimony and his report, given that the arrest video contradicted officer’s claims. John fought tooth and nails with the prosecutor about every evidence presented and discredited them. It almost felt the jostling between John and the prosecutor was a heavy weight title fight, but John was clearly the better attorney in that court room. To put it simply, John was more eloquent, detailed oriented, and delivered objections which led him to controlling the momentum of the trial. As the trial progressed, I felt good about my chances but still wasn’t sure how things would pan out. When the judge read the verdict and stated that Prosecutor did not prove beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed my case, I started crying. I was so elated and hugged John and Andrew. John and Andrew, I want to thank you for your exceptional work. You guys make an exceptional team. John is truly a brilliant trial lawyer and even a better person. I am truly blessed they both were my attorneys. I will give John and Andrew my highest recommendations! Sincerely, TS