FBI Case File Review

Retired agent Martin Suarez reviews his nearly seven-year undercover role infiltrating from inside the cartels. During Operation Colaboro, using the alias “Manny,” he smuggled millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine for the Medellín Cartel, all of which was seized by the FBI after delivery. During Operation Golden Trash, Martin became a high-level money launderer for the North Coast Cartel. When the operation ended and the cartel thought Manny had stolen their money, they sent a hitman to Martin's home to kill him. Martin is the author of Inside The Cartel: How An Undercover FBI Agent Smuggled Cocaine, Laundered Cash, and Dismantled a Colombian Narco-Empire. His co-author, Ian Frisch, also takes part in this interview. The true crime tale recounts Martin’s undercover operations, but also how Martin the family man was trying not to lose himself in his undercover roles. Martin served in the FBI for 23 years.   Check out the episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/370-martin-suarez-inside-the-cartel-dismantling-a-colombian-narco-empire/       Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Jeremy Rebmann reviews three SWAT operations he took part in as a sniper on the Oklahoma City FBI SWAT team. Providing details from his book, Send Me: Chronicles of an FBI Sniper, he talks about a mission at Glass Mountain that ended in a fatality, the capture of a bank bombing suspect, and the rescue of three little girls during a SWAT operation to arrest their fugitive father. He also discusses the importance of adequate mental health resources for agents and law enforcement. Jeremy served in the FBI for 23 years.  Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/369-jeremy-rebmann-chronicles-of-an-fbi-sniper-swat/   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL      Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams     Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

In the first half of part two of this two-part episode of FBI Case File Review, legendary undercover agent Joe Pistone and retired agent Donnie Brasco talk about why Joe chose the name "Donnie Brasco" for his alias, and how Joe felt when Donnie followed in his footsteps. Joe also talks about how he felt when he learned Donnie had applied to join the FBI, presented him with his agent credentials at his FBI Academy graduation, and the advice he would have given Donnie if he knew he was applying to attend the undercover certification school. Joe provides insights about what is required to be a good undercover agent and a successful true crime and crime fiction author. Donnie reviews his undercover role during the group one operation code-named "Black Eagle" during the second half of the episode.   Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/368-donnie-brasco-and-joe-pistone-family-business-going-undercover-part-2/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

In part one of this two-part episode, retired agent Donnie Brasco reviews his career navigating as an FBI agent with his infamous name and following in the footsteps of his uncle, legendary undercover agent Joe Pistone. Until now, most people were unaware of Donnie and Joe’s family ties. I call it the worst-kept secret in the FBI. Joe drops in at the end of the episode to share why he chose the name "Donnie Brasco" for his alias. Donnie served in the FBI for 21 years. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles:  https://jerriwilliams.com/367-donnie-brasco-following-in-the-footsteps-of-uncle-joe-pistone-part-1/ Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and to keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL  Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Tom Larned reviews two fraud cases he investigated while assigned to the Fort Myers Resident Agency out of the Tampa Division, the Orion Bank failure and the VR Labs wire fraud investigations. At the time of Tom’s investigation, Orion was the largest privately owned bank in the state of Florida. The failure of the bank cost the FDIC $884 million. Tom investigated VR Labs owners Kay and Robert Gow and business partner John Williams for cheating Lee County, Florida, taxpayers out of $5 million and hundreds of potential jobs. Tom served in the FBI for 24 years. Check out the episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/366-thomas-larned-orion-bank-failure-vr-labs-wire-fraud/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams    Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL     Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Former agent Brooke Plesnar reviews the Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis, where a British national took four people hostage, including Congregation Beth Israel’s rabbi. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) was deployed. While negotiations for their safe release were underway, the hostages were able to escape unharmed. HRT engaged and killed the hostage-taker. Brooke investigated this case while assigned to the Dallas Division as a member of the Fort Worth, Texas, Resident Agency’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). She served in the FBI for five years. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles:  https://jerriwilliams.com/365-brooke-plesnar-colleyville-synagogue-hostage-standoff/   FBI Agents Association Statement on Reports of FBI Agent Firings https://www.fbiaa.org/fbi-agents-association-statement-on-reports-of-fbi-agent-firings/     Video Statement from Mike Clark, President of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1LpgzZQFf2/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL  Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/ 

Retired agent Raj Patel reviews the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombing case where 8 suicide subjects inspired by ISIS detonated themselves in three large Western hotels and three churches, killing approximately 270 people, including five Americans. Raj and other members of the team won the 2021 Director Award for Most Outstanding International Investigation. He served in the FBI for 20 years. Check out the episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/364-raj-patel-sri-lanka-easter-bombings-2019-extraterritorial-jurisdiction/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Tony Mozingo reviews his investigation and fugitive hunt for Craig T. McFarland, a developer who defrauded banks of nearly $20 million in the late 70s and 80s. The extensive manhunt spanned multiple countries. He is the author of Beyond the Badge: One Man, Two Lives, to be published on September 12.  Check out the episode show notes, photos, and related articles:  https://jerriwilliams.com/363-tony-mozingo-mcfarland-bank-fraud-beyond-the-badge/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Kathy Adams reviews the rescue of a restaurant owner who was kidnapped for ransom at gunpoint from his Champaign, Illinois, Mexican restaurant and held for five days in September 2006. Using cell site analysis during the multi-state investigation, Kathy, along with FBI agents assigned to Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin and FBI Headquarters, along with investigators from the Champaign Police Department, were able to identify, track and arrest the kidnappers. The victim was rescued from a motel room in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and most of the $250,000 ransom money recovered. Kathy Adams was the first female FBI agent to become a SWAT team operator and was the first female FBI SWAT team leader. She served in the FBI for nearly 29 years.   Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles:  https://jerriwilliams.com/362-kathy-adams-kidnapped-restaurant-owner/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Stacey Perkins reviews one of the very first international Innocent Images cases, the investigation of Dmitry Bron, who, using the code name "Nanny 69," ran an international internet site named the Orchild Club in Virginia Beach that offered some 15,000 images of graphic child pornography. Stacey worked and managed the Innocent Images program for over two-thirds of her FBI career. She served in the FBI for 30 years. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles:  https://jerriwilliams.com/361-stacey-perkins-nanny-69-launch-of-innocent-images-initiative/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Robert D'Amico reviews his involvement, as a member of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), in a Navy SEAL's mission to rescue four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates on their sailboat The Quest, and, after the mission's deadly outcome, his capture of the pirates' shore-based negotiator. Rob's overseas deployment took place when he served as the FBI HRT’s tactical liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Rob served in the FBI for twenty-seven years. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/360-robert-damico-somali-pirates-fatal-hijacking-of-sv-quest/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Katherine Schweit reviews Operation UNITED, the largest coordinated exhumation of unidentified murder victims in FBI history. Detroit Police Detective Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen spearheaded the initiative. Their primary goal was to identify the nameless dead and bring closure to families who had spent decades wondering what happened to their loved ones. Their ultimate goal was to solve 200 murder cases. Jones and Larsen assembled a team led by female forensic anthropologists, scientists, and investigators. Katherine Schweit is the author of "Women Who Talk to the Dead: The True Story of 200 Forgotten Murder Victims and the Relentless Pursuit of Justice by an FBI Agent and a Detroit Police Detective." Katherine served in the FBI for twenty years. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/359-katherine-schweit-operation-united-women-who-talk-to-the-dead/       Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams     Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL      Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/  

Retired agent Bryan Travers reviews his investigation of Alfred Scarpa, for illegally selling anabolic steroids, which he manufactured and stored in the basement of his residence. The case was part of Operation Raw Deal, a nationwide DEA led investigation and take-down of individuals illegally manufacturing and trafficking anabolic steroids and its raw materials, mainly from China, along with the human growth hormone (HGH) and the insulin growth factor (IGF). Scarpa was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 33 months in federal prison. The entire international Operation Raw Deal investigation resulted in more than 124 arrests in the United States on federal charges. Bryan Travers served in the FBI for 25 years. Five as a latent print examiner and 20 as a special agent. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/358-bryan-travers-anabolic-steroids-operation-raw-deal/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Mark Horton reviews Operation Impunity, an undercover investigation that targeted the New Breed Black Gangsters. The street gang was based in the Square, a Chicago housing complex plagued with gang violence and an open-air drug market. The faction of the Breeds operated with impunity, committing murders and selling drugs with no fear of law enforcement.  In 2004, the CPD) area 4 Gang Squad and the FBI Joint Task Force on Gangs (JTFG) began developing a strategy to dismantle the gang. The CPD would conduct street corner conspiracy and the FBI JTFG would begin working towards a Title III and a Group I UCO. Mark Horton, initially the case agent, took on the undercover role infiltrating the New Breed Black Gangsters as a business associate purchasing drugs from the gang. Mark Horton served in the FBI for over 28 years. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/357-mark-horton-chicago-new-breed-black-gangsters-operation-impunity/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

On this special episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with executive producer and showrunner Latoya Morgan and lead actress Rachel Hilson about DUSTER, the new TV series from JJ Abrams and Latoya Morgan now streaming on HBO Max. Set in the 1970s Southwest, the show follows the first black female FBI agent as she takes on a crime syndicate by teaming up with a gutsy getaway driver. I'm an FBI consultant on the show. DUSTER also stars Josh Holloway as the getaway driver Jim Ellis and Keith David as the boss of the crime syndicate.   After my conversations with LaToya and Rachel, I talk briefly about the significance of accurate portrayals of the FBI in books, TV, and movies, a major theme of my mission.   Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/356-duster-hbo-max-latoya-morgan-and-rachel-hilson/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams     Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL      Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/  

Retired agent Martin Reardon reviews his Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP) nationwide manhunt for a child predator wanted for the 1995 kidnapping and rape of a 9-year-old girl. Released from state prison just weeks earlier, Rickey Allen Bright had served 15 years of a life sentence for a 1979 offense involving a 6-year-old girl. Due to the heinous nature of the offense and his previous conviction, Bright was named to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitive List and featured on America’s Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries. He was fugitive #444 and on the top ten list for three weeks. He was ultimately captured during the January 1996 East Coast blizzard just hours after America’s Most Wanted aired the segment about the manhunt for the third time. After the case review, Marty also talks about his assignment as a Legal Attaché in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Doha, Qatar, and his post-FBI career in the Middle East. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/355-martin-reardon-top-ten-predator-manhunt-legat-riyadh-and-doha/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Tracey Harris Branch reviews a hate crime investigation of the murder of Memphis Code Enforcement Officer Mickey Wright, killed in the line of duty because of his race. The subject of the investigation, Dale Mardis, was a self-proclaimed racist with anti-government views. Initially, Mardis was convicted of the local murder by the state of Tennessee, which resulted in him receiving a 15-year sentence. However, once allegations of racial bias surfaced, Tracey’s investigation resulted in the conviction of Mardis for a federal hate crime and a sentence of life in prison. Tracey Branch served in the FBI for more than 24 years.   Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/354-tracey-harris-branch-memphis-code-enforcement-murder/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Phillip Partin and Lubbock Police Detective Derick Smith review an abduction case where the subject threatened to expose explicit photos of a 14-year-old missing girl and harm her family, to coerce her to leave Texas and travel to Michigan with him. The FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST) was called in to assist with the case. By tracking their phones, the unknown male abductor was identified and captured, and the teen recovered and returned home to her family. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/353-phil-partin-and-derick-smith-missing-teen-girl-cast/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams     Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agent Kelly Liberti-Gardner reviews her investigation to identify and apprehend the unknown male who abducted a six-year-old girl from her home and abused her before releasing her in a different neighborhood 17 hours later. Using historical cell phone analysis and familial DNA, also known as investigative genetic genealogy, the unknown male was identified. This case marked the first use of familial DNA in Ohio. Kelly also reviews the FBI's national Child Abduction Rapid Deployment, CARD team. Kelly Liberti served in the FBI for over 23 years.  Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/352-kelly-liberti-cleveland-child-abduction-card-team/   Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/

Retired agents Lou Calvarese and Melissa Fortunato review their undercover roles in Operation Royal Charm, an investigation that used an undercover wedding ruse to dismantle an international smuggling ring bringing into the U.S. illegal drugs, cigarettes, and counterfeit $100 bills, known as North Korean “super notes,” and conspiring to smuggle in weapons from North Korea as well. Task force members immediately arrested guests arriving in chauffeured limousines to Lou and Melissa's wedding. Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/351-lou-calvarese-and-melissa-fortunato-undercover-wedding-operation-royal-charm/     Buy me a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JerriWilliams   Join my Reader Team to get the FBI Reading Resource - Books about the FBI, written by FBI agents, the 20 clichés about the FBI Reality Checklist, and keep up to date on the FBI in books, TV, and movies via my monthly email. Join here. http://eepurl.com/dzCCmL    Check out my FBI books, non-fiction and crime fiction, available as audiobooks, ebooks and paperbacks wherever books are sold. https://jerriwilliams.com/books/