Spartan Profiles: Allison Leotta
Sex crimes is a popular television topic in prime time, but not everything portrayed is realistic. So Allison (Harnisch) Leotta, ’95, an Assistant U.S. Attorney who prosecutes federal sex crimes in Washington, DC, decided to set the record straight. She has published Law of Attraction (Simon & Schuster, 2010), a novel dealing with sex crimes based on actual experiences.
“It’s very realistic,” says Leotta. “All the details are taken from real life cases. I spoke to many cops and investigators and took the most interesting bits and pieces.
” The novel has received great reviews, including one from famed attorney Alan Dershowitz, who calls it “a great read for anyone who loves legal thrillers, cares about domestic violence or wonders how lawyers can live with themselves.”
In addition, Allison writes a blog called The Prime Time Crime Review (www.allisonleotta.com), which debunks some of the inaccuracies she sees on television. “I love shows like Law & Order Special Victims Unit,” says Allison. “Some are great and they bring great issues to the forefront, but they also have their silly moments.”
Growing up in Farmington Hills and later Franklin, MI, Allison became fascinated with crime from listening to stories from her father, then a prosecutor in Detroit. She also became enamored of MSU. “My father took us to every home football game,” she recalls, adding with a chuckle, “I thought MSU was just a river and a stadium next to it.” She eventually enrolled in MSU’s James Madison College, which she considers the best of all worlds. “It provided a small, intimate setting in Case Hall where you knew everyone and all the professors knew you,” she explains. “And then you also have the whole bigger world out there.” She cites Professor Michael Schecter as a mentor. “He is brilliant,” she says. “Anything he’d talked about was fascinating. If he had taught a course about earthworms in Eastern Patagonia, I would have taken it.”