Jeff Benedict is an award-winning investigative journalist and the best-selling author of seven books.  He has been a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, and the Hartford Courant.  He is a Distinguished Professor at Southern Virginia University, where he teaches advanced writing and a class on politics and law. He holds a J.D., an M.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in History. 

Benedict is currently writing LITTLE PINK HOUSE (Grand Central Publishing), the epic story behind the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous decision on eminent domain handed down in 2005.  He is also collaborating with JetBlue Airways founder David Neeleman on his memoir: DON’T TELL ME IT CAN’T BE DONE (Grand Central Publishing).  And Benedict is writing a book on a businessman who turned a tiny family business into a multimillion dollar enterprise purchased by Warren Buffett titled: HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS WARREN BUFFETT WOULD BUY (Shadow Mountain). 

Benedict’s previous books include: THE MORMON WAY OF DOING BUSINESS: How Eight Western Boys Reached the Top of Corporate America (Warner Business Books, 2007), which is based on exclusive interviews with top corporate executives at Dell Inc., JetBlue Airways, Deloitte & Touche USA, American Express, Madison Square Garden Corp., Life Re Corp., and Harvard Business School, all of whom are Mormons.  Benedict also wrote and co-produced a made-for-television documentary film based the book.

In 2004 Benedict published– OUT OF BOUNDS: Inside the NBA’s Culture of Rape, Violence and Crime (HarperCollins), which was the subject of a two-part special on ABC’s 20/20. 

In April 2003 Benedict wrote No Bone Unturned: The Adventures of a Top Smithsonian Forensic Scientist and the Legal Battle for America’s Oldest Skeletons (HarperCollins).   It chronicles the life of a top government scientist, Dr. Doug Owsley, who won a landmark lawsuit over Kennewick Man, the oldest intact skeleton ever found in North America.  The book was the subject of an ABC News 20/20 profile and was the basis of a Discovery Channel documentary. 

In 2000 Benedict published Without Reservation: How a Controversial Indian Tribe Rose to Power and Built the World’s Largest Casino (HarperCollins).  This book was the subject of a 60 Minutes segment and prompted calls for a

Congressional investigation into the legitimacy of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe and its land boundaries.  Without Reservation is currently being made into a motion picture film.

In 1998 Benedict wrote the bestseller Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL (Warner Books, 1998), which was also the subject of an HBO documentary on crime in sports.

Benedict has also written two books on violence against women.  Public Heroes, Private Felons: Athletes and Crimes Against Women (Northeastern University Press1997) and Athletes and Acquaintance Rape (Sage Publications, 1998) both developed out of groundbreaking research that Benedict conducted while serving as the research director at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Society.  Benedict designed and published the first national studies into the prevalence rates of athletes to abuse women, as well as studies on the arrest and conviction rates of athletes who commit crimes against women.  The results of these studies appeared in the Sociology of Sport Journal (1997) and the Journal of Sport & Social Issues (1995).

In addition to writing, Benedict previously practiced law in Connecticut and he has had an active career in politics.  He ran for U.S. Congress in Connecticut and he is the former president of the Connecticut Alliance Against Casino Expansion, a non-profit corporation that he founded with business, civic and religious leaders from around Connecticut. 

In 2003 Benedict partnered with Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal to lead an effort to enact landmark legislation to stop casino expansion in the state.  He has testified before Congress on the influence of the gambling industry.

Benedict has served as an expert witness on behalf of domestic violence and sexual assault victims, as well as an advisor and consultant to lawyers representing victims of violence.  He is also a frequent essayist and guest commentator on national news programs and cable stations.