Born in upstate New York in 1962 into a military family, and the oldest of four boys, John spent the majority of his formative years moving all across the United States. Due to a knee injury in high school which required surgery, and the advice of his parents, John decided against a career in the U.S. Navy where he hoped to be a S.E.A.L.

After graduating from high school in San Diego, California in June of 1980, John opted not to go into the Navy or to college, instead working at Bullocks Department Store by day and at Alpha Beta grocery store as a courtesy clerk by night. Eventually John, again on the advice of his parents, went to college part-time in the evenings at Mira Costa College in Oceanside, California. Before John completed his studies at Mira Costa College, he was recruited into a pilot program sponsored by Southern California Edison (SCE) designed to train local college students to become Nuclear Plant Equipment Operators (NPEO) at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) in San Clemente, California. After completing the prerequisite college courses, John was hired by SCE where he worked as an NPEO at SONGS Units 2 and 3 from 1983 through 1987.

In September, 1987, after being told by SCE that he either had to work on the Sabbath or find a new job, John left San Onofre to pursue a degree in Ministerial Studies at Loma Linda University in Riverside, California (now known as La Sierra University) where he hoped to become a minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In between John's junior and senior year at Loma Linda University, he decided to take a year off and spent one school year as a student missionary on the island nation of Palau where John was the boy's dean and a teacher at the Palau Mission Academy. It was there that John fell in love with the political process. Sitting as a member of the school board and the discipline committee with the President of Palau, along with a number of other government and business leaders, John decided to complete his degree in Religion but then to go into the law instead of the ministry.

Back in the United States, John completed a degree in Religion graduating from Loma Linda University in June, 1990. Then in August, 1992, on the week of his 30th birthday, John entered Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California. Along the way, John has held a number of other odd jobs including being a volunteer firefighter in Riverside County, a fitness trainer for Family Fitness Center and a pizza delivery guy for Straw Hat Pizza and Dominos.

John received his Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern University School of Law in May, 1995, where he was the President of the Criminal Law Society and a member of the Interscholastic Trial Advocacy Program.

John opened his law office on June 7, 1996, and limits his practice to criminal defense, civil rights violations, personal injury, family law, appeals (both civil and criminal) and general civil litigation, including contract matters.

When he is not hard at work, John enjoys spending time with his family, flying, riding his motorcyle, and taking long drives in his 2004 C5 Corvette.  John is also an active member of the Bellflower Seventh-day Adventist Church where he is the Religious Liberty Director, a Master Guide and Deputy Director of the Pathfinder Club, teaches an adult Sabbath school class, and participates in the church service whenever he can.