Connecticut Judge Thomas J. O'Neill refused to allow damning testimony about Christopher Ambrose’s lies to federal agents and other heinous crimes into the record. Has the judge been hoodwinked by a dangerous psychopath, or is he exhibiting psychopathic tendencies himself?
By Richard Luthmann
Earlier this week, renowned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Bandy Lee took the stand in the Ambrose v. Riordan family court case, poised to deliver explosive testimony about Christopher Ambrose, a former TV writer and suspended attorney diagnosed as a psychopath.
Dr. Lee's testimony was expected to reveal the extent of Ambrose’s dangerous behavior, including his documented lies to federal agents and his pattern of manipulation and abuse.
Yet Connecticut Judge Thomas O'Neill blocked nearly all of it from being entered into the record, leaving critical details of Ambrose’s crimes hidden from public view.
The question is: Why?
Ambrose's Psychopathy and Lies to Federal Agents
Christopher Ambrose is no family court ordinary litigant. According to Dr. Lee, he scored a 32 out of 40 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, a score that places him in the highest category of danger. Psychopathy, as assessed through this checklist, is characterized by manipulativeness, a lack of empathy, and an ability to lie without remorse.
Ambrose’s psychopathy was already a red flag, but Dr. Lee was prepared to testify about something even more shocking: Ambrose had lied to federal agents, orchestrating a false FBI raid based on fabricated accusations.
"Ambrose lied to federal agents, leading to a SWAT team raid at the home of a friend of Karen Riordan," Dr. Lee explained in our conversation. "He claimed the children were there, which was completely false. This kind of manipulation of law enforcement is deeply dangerous and characteristic of someone with his psychopathy."
Lying to federal agents is also a crime, violating 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Ambrose has subjected himself to potential federal prosecution by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Vanessa Roberts Avery.
Ambrose’s lies to federal authorities were just one example of his willingness to manipulate those around him. According to Dr. Lee, Ambrose’s behavior follows a pattern of deception and abuse that puts everyone around him at risk.
Yet despite the severity of his actions, Judge O’Neill consistently blocked Dr. Lee’s attempts to get these facts on the record during her testimony earlier this week.
Judge O'Neill’s Questionable Role: Hoodwinked or Complicit?
The real question hanging over the Ambrose v. Riordan case is why Judge Thomas J. O'Neill is so determined to protect Christopher Ambrose. Is the judge simply being manipulated by a master manipulator, or is there something more sinister at play?
Dr. Lee, who has testified in many high-stakes cases, was repeatedly prevented from delivering critical facts about Ambrose’s psychopathy.
"Every time I mentioned something incriminating about Ambrose, the judge struck it from the record," Dr. Lee said. "Ambrose’s dangerousness, his lies to law enforcement, his abuse of the children—none of it was allowed to stay in the testimony."
Judge O’Neill’s rulings have raised serious concerns about his judgment. He has not only sustained nearly every objection raised by Ambrose, who is representing himself pro se, but has also actively suppressed crucial evidence that could expose the true extent of Ambrose’s criminal behavior. When Dr. Lee attempted to introduce Ambrose’s psychopathy score from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, the judge refused to allow it.
On August 8, 2023, Dr. Lee previously sent a letter to Judge Thomas J. O’Neill. Not only did Dr. Lee come to the medical conclusion that Christopher Ambrose is a psychopath, but she also reported serious allegations of child molestation to the Connecticut Courts at that time.
As a mandated reporter, Dr. Lee also filed a Report of Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect for each of the Ambrose children. Her statements are unequivocal.
"What I find most troubling is that O’Neill seems to go out of his way to protect Ambrose, even though he has all the warning signs of a highly dangerous individual," Dr. Lee noted. "I don’t know if the judge is being manipulated or if he has his own issues, but either way, it’s deeply concerning."
Ambrose's DARVO Abuse: A Dangerous Manipulator
Christopher Ambrose’s ability to manipulate those around him goes beyond lying to federal agents. He has perfected a tactic known as DARVO—Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender. Through DARVO, abusers like Ambrose deny their actions, attack their victims, and reverse the roles to make themselves look like the victim. It’s a common defense mechanism used by abusers to control the narrative and shield themselves from accountability.
"Ambrose is a textbook DARVO abuser," Dr. Jill Jones Soderman, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts and an advocate for family court reform, said during her interview with Luthmann. "He accuses Karen Riordan of the very things he is guilty of. It’s classic DARVO—deny his abuse, attack Riordan, and make himself out to be the victim."
Ambrose’s DARVO tactics have been on full display throughout the Ambrose v. Riordan case. Acting pro se, he has used the court system to accuse Riordan of child abduction and mental instability, all while manipulating the legal process to keep the focus off of his own criminal actions.
Despite evidence of his manipulation and abuse, Judge O’Neill has allowed Ambrose to maintain control over the narrative, continually ruling in his favor.
Judge O'Neill: Psychological Blindness or Something More?
The real question remains: Is Connecticut Judge Thomas J. O’Neill being hoodwinked by a dangerous psychopath, or is there something more troubling about his own behavior in the courtroom? Dr. Lee raised concerns about the judge’s role in the case.
"Judge O'Neill's behavior goes beyond poor judgment," said Dr. Lee. "He seems to delight in suppressing evidence of Ambrose’s crimes. It’s almost as if he enjoys watching Riordan and her children suffer under Ambrose’s control. His actions raise the question of whether he might be displaying pathological tendencies of his own."
Dr. Lee, a forensic expert who has testified in high-stakes cases around the world, was struck by how determined the judge seemed to protect Ambrose. She noted that O’Neill’s decisions consistently favor Ambrose, despite the overwhelming evidence of his psychopathy and dangerousness.
"I’ve seen judges make mistakes before, but this felt different. There was a deliberate effort to keep the truth about Ambrose from coming to light," Dr. Lee said.
DCF’s Failure to Act: Ignoring the Danger
While much of the focus has been on Judge O’Neill, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has also come under fire for failing to intervene. Dr. Lee, a mandated reporter, submitted multiple reports to DCF about the danger Ambrose posed to his children. Her reports, which included details of child abuse and Ambrose’s manipulation of federal law enforcement, were repeatedly rejected.
"DCF claimed that my reports were duplicates, even when I was submitting new information about escalating abuse," Dr. Lee said. "I’ve never seen anything like it. They seem determined to ignore the danger these children are in."
Dr. Lee’s warnings about Ambrose were backed by detailed forensic evaluations, yet DCF refused to take action. These allegations are corroborated by DCF Supervisor Michelle Peterson’s own admissions.
Mia Ambrose has previously reported sexual penetration by Christopher Ambrose through her appointed Attorney for the Child, Michael G. Curley.
DCF failed to investigate. Why? DCF Supervisor Michelle Peterson said, “We have received several reports - some of which were not accepted because of duplicate information.”
Let’s break this down.
Attorney Curley makes a specific request: “Could you please provide a copy of the most recent report [of sexual penetration]? Or a summary of the allegations?”
DCF Program Supervisor Michelle Peterson evades addressing the most recent report of sexual penetration (one by Mia, one by Bandy Lee, and God knows how many more?).
There is no further mention of the report or a summary of the sexual penetration allegations. Peterson does not deny that they exist, and she does not agree to provide them. Peterson merely says: “We have an active assessment related to allegations against both parents.”
So, in plain English, that means that Mia Ambrose complained about sexual penetration by Christopher Ambrose. So did Dr. Bandy Lee, and maybe others. These complaints were ignored by DCF.
But there were also a slew of complaints against Karen Riordan. What are these complaints?:
The Ambrose children are not attending school.
The Ambrose children have missed appointments with providers.
The Ambrose children are not taking medication as needed.
Who complained about Karen Riordan? You guessed it: Christopher Ambrose.
The DCF enforcement focus seems a bit off. Child rape is ignorable, while possible truancy deserves their full resources and focus. It smacks of criminal negligence.
In addition to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist, the State of Connecticut previously found Christopher Ambrose dangerous.
A Connecticut Court Risk Assessment from December 2020 shows Court Attorney Allison Kass, Esq., determined Christopher Ambrose was HIGH RISK for potential danger to his children.
Private Investigator Manuel Gomez holds Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security certifications from his service as an Army Intelligence Officer multiple times for the Afghanistan war-captured terrorists in Afghanistan who attacked coalition forces.
Gomez has look pure evil in the eye. He has investigated Christopher Ambrose. He minces no words: “Mr. Ambrose molests his children.” He told this to the FBI and US Attorney for the Western District of New York in a letter dated May 29, 2023.
Gomez calls Ambrose “The Leonardo da Vinci of Liars.”
The statements of professionals overwhelmingly corroborate the serious allegations of Christopher Ambrose’s child molestation. Ambrose prefers young Latin boys.
Physical evidence from his computer hard-drives also backs it up. He frequents pornographic websites of underage Latino Boys and others performing homosexual sex acts:
We can’t show pictures from Ambrose’s computer here, and child porongraphy possession is a crime (we have no images - they are all already in the custody of law enforcement). But here are some names of the other “BOI” (aka BOY) images he likes, according to information from his hard drive:
dirtypaco/blogsorg/boimages/*/civilians-massive-cock-bangs-military- hunks-throat-and-tight-ass.jpg
boimages/*/ex-military-hunks-still-fucking-hard-like-a- marine.jpg
boimages/*/fireman-beau-shows-how-military-hunks- suck-cock.jpg
/boimages/*/hard-buff-hunks-lucas-strips.jpg
boimages/*/hotandhardlatinhunksfrombrazil-1.jpg
boimages/*/civilians-massive-cock-bangs-military- hunks-throat-and-tight-ass.jpg
/boimages/*/hung_latinos_cock.jpg
boimages/*/latin_hunks_cock-1.jpg
boimages/*/latin_hunks_first_rimming.jpg
blogsorg/boimages/*/latin_hunks_first_fucking.jpg
boimages/*/military-hunks-big-cock-blowing-load.jpg
boimages/*/military-hunks-jack-off-session-with-fat- cock-and-gushing-loads-of-cum.jpg
boimages/*/straight-military-hunks-first-gay-experience- as-they-suck-cock-and-69-each-other.jpg
boimages/*/straight-military-hunks-getting-first-guy-on- guy-blow-job.jpg
boimages/*/stud-with-cash-gets-to-suck-straight-military- hunks-fat-cock.jpg
boimages/*/tanner-sucks-military-hunks-big-cock-and- gets-faceload-of-cum.jpg
boimages/*/latin_hunks_first_cock_sucking.jpg
PrivacIE:mygaycash.com/Admin/banners/*/200804030952550.LSM_160X460_3.gif
Plenty of additional information is in the public record showing Ambrose's danger. His Madison, CT home is a den of iniquity, where underage girls are apparently plastered with alcohol then (statutorily) raped. DCF knows all of this, they have seen the published pictures.
Ambrose’s manipulation of the courts and law enforcement, coupled with DCF’s inaction, has left three children in a dangerous situation where the apparent abuser, Ambrose remains in control.
The Consequences for Karen Riordan and Her Children
As Christopher Ambrose continues to manipulate the legal system and evade accountability for his crimes, the consequences for Karen Riordan and her children are devastating. Riordan’s children have been isolated from her, forced to remain in Ambrose’s care despite the overwhelming evidence of his psychopathy, dangerousness, and sexual abuse.
"Ambrose is a highly dangerous individual, but the court and DCF have turned a blind eye to his behavior," Dr. Lee said. "These children are trapped, and the system that is supposed to protect them has been completely co-opted by Ambrose".
The combined failures of Judge O'Neill and DCF have allowed Ambrose to continue his reign of psychological terror. As the case drags on, the question remains: Is Judge O'Neill being manipulated by a psychopath, or does the judge himself exhibit psychopathic tendencies?
The Verdict: Hoodwinked or Complicit?
The Ambrose v. Riordan case has exposed serious flaws in the Connecticut family court system. Christopher Ambrose’s lies to federal agents, his DARVO abuse, and his psychopathy have all been documented by multiple, credible experts and corroborated by physical evidence. Yet Judge O’Neill continues to protect Ambrose. Is the judge simply being outmaneuvered by a master manipulator, or is there a deeper problem at play?
As Dr. Lee put it, "Either Judge O’Neill is being completely fooled by a dangerous psychopath, or he has his own issues that are clouding his judgment. Either way, it’s a disaster for Karen Riordan and her children."
Until the truth about Christopher Ambrose and Judge O’Neill’s role in this case comes to light, the victims will continue to suffer—and a dangerous psychopath will remain free to manipulate the system.
Lying to the Feds? No Problem for CT Judge Thomas O’Neill in Ambrose Family Court Case