Timothy J. Treanor '89
Whether battling poverty and hopelessness in Johannesburg or organized crime in the courts of New York, Timothy “T.J.” Treanor has demonstrated tenacity, ingenuity and a sense of vibrant, personal responsibility.
Majoring in history and visual arts history at the College, T.J. traveled to South Africa after graduation to work with that nation’s homeless youth. Witnessing the plight of the “twilight children,” T.J. founded and raised funds for a residential community reintegration program for older boys hoping to enter the workforce. This successful program continues today, serving the needs of the poorest young men in the Hillbrow area of Johannesburg.
Returning from South Africa, T.J. enrolled at the Fordham University School of Law, where he quickly made his mark. While at Fordham, he was the notes and articles editor of the Fordham Law Review. Winning the Dean’s Writing Prize, T.J. also served as the Louis Stein Ethics and Public Interest Scholar. Selected as MCI International Law Fellow, T.J. was able to travel back to South Africa to work on the nation’s first democratic constitution.
In his spare time, T.J. founded two successful companies — Law Preview and LawBooksForLess — providing products and services to law students and generating combined annual revenues of more than $2 million.
Since 1999, T.J. has served as the assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. In this capacity, he has been the lead counsel in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving racketeering, tax evasion, securities fraud, witness tampering, narcotics trafficking, robbery, extortion and murder. Supervising a prestigious unit of 15 prosecutors, he currently serves as deputy chief of the office’s Organized Crime Unit.
For his energy, initiative and resourcefulness; for his work ethic, his courageousness and his ability to find opportunity where others see only despair; for his commitment to a world that is both compassionate and just, the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø presents to Timothy J. Treanor the Sanctae Crucis Award.