Criminal Justice

Ex-White House Lawyer Accused of Murder Attempt Checks Out of Psychiatric Center

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A former White House lawyer accused of attempted murder for allegedly beating his wife with a flashlight at their Connecticut home has checked himself out of a psychiatric facility.

John Michael Farren finished the in-patient phase at the center and is staying with his sister and brother-in-law, his lawyer told the New Canaan Advertiser. He is being treated on an outpatient basis, the lawyer, Gene Riccio, told the publication.

Farren was released from prison in June after posting $750,000 bail and agreeing that, if he left the psychiatric facility, he would stay with his sister and wear a GPS tracking device. Riccio told the Advertiser that Farren is complying with the requirements.

Farren served as deputy White House counsel under former President George W. Bush and was a former general counsel at Xerox Corp. Farren’s wife, lawyer Mary Margaret Farren, has filed a civil suit claiming the beating has affected her ability to continue working at her $300,000-a-year job at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

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