John Wesley Dean III (born October 14, 1938) served as
White House Counsel for United States President
Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. In this position, he became deeply involved in events leading up to the Watergate burglaries and the subsequent
Watergate scandal cover-up. He was referred to as the "master manipulator of the cover-up" by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He pleaded guilty to a single
felony count, in exchange for becoming a key witness for the prosecution. This ultimately resulted in a reduced prison sentence, which he served at
Fort Holabird outside
Baltimore, Maryland.