Marine Corps veteran who served as U.S. attorney joins Brother Benno’s volunteer board

Long-time volunteer Tara McGrath, a Marine Corps veteran and former U.S. Attorney for California’s Southern District, has joined nonprofit Brother Benno’s board of directors.

McGrath received the national Justice Department Director’s Award in 2016 for helping develop the California Southern District’s Diversion Program, which lets some defendants avoid incarceration by completing drug or mental health treatment, community service or restitution.

McGrath brings military and leadership experience to the Oceanside-based nonprofit, which has served more than 5 million meals to struggling area families, seniors and anyone in need since it started in 1983 and has grown to provide a range of services for the area’s working poor and homeless, including addiction recovery. It has become known as a family to many who got help overcoming addictions and turning their lives around.

“Brother Benno’s is an extraordinary organization providing essential services with compassion, dignity, and hope to people from all walks of life. I’m truly honored to join the board and contribute to its meaningful mission,” McGrath said.

McGrath, who has served on the board of directors of the Central Virginia Salvation Army, started volunteering in Brother Benno’s clothing distribution room in 2007 and later volunteered in other areas.

McGrath brings experience overseeing complex federal prosecutions, civil defense cases and crisis management. As U.S. attorney, she managed more than 330 lawyers and staff and handled more than 5,000 federal cases. She led prosecutors focused on white-collar and financial crimes, ranging from organized crime and cyberintrusions to environmental infractions, national security issues and civil fraud. She prioritized protecting the community from fentanyl, prosecuting scammers targeting vulnerable populations, getting firearms out of the hands of felons and violent offenders and enforcing civil rights.

McGrath served more than a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney and trial attorney for the U.S. Justice Department in San Diego and Washington, D.C., in cases ranging from racketeering and violent crime to fraud.