Retired agent Francis “Frank” Gasper, reviews his investigation of Elizabeth Kolling for trust account and elder fraud. Kolling, head of the trust department at the Dickinson North Dakota branch of the Bank of the West, had been appointed as the trustee for elderly bank clients who had no close relatives to help them manage their finances. Granted power of attorney over their trust accounts, she took advantage of her position and stole money and mineral rights from her clients. Check out...

Retired agent Kurt McKenzie reviews his Russian "birth tourism" investigation targeting boutique companies in South Florida that specialized in helping pregnant Russian mothers circumvent visa requirements to give birth in the U.S. and secure American citizenship for their newborns. Kurt McKenzie served in the FBI for 24 years.   Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles: https://jerriwilliams.com/336-kurt-mckenzie-russian-birth-tourism-operation-miami-mama/     ...

Retired agent Colton Seale reviews his time on the FBI Fly Team and the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG). During his many deployments around the world, Colton has had assignments few Bureau employees have experienced, including being the only FBI agent to have set foot in bin Laden’s compound and house. The Fly Team is a small, highly trained cadre of counterterrorism investigators—including special agents and intelligence analysts—based at FBI Headquarters who stand ready to...

In part two of this two-part episode, retired agents Vince Pankoke, Jr. and Tom Myers continue their review of Operation Dilido, a Group I Colombian Cali Cartel undercover investigation targeting one of the most prolific drug subjects, Julio "The Gun" Correa and his Miami based lieutenant, Nando. The investigation relied on surveillance and wiretap coverage and resulted in the seizure of 12 metal chlorine cylinders filled with millions of dollars of cocaine. Vince Pankoke was one of Operation...

Retired agents Vince Pankoke, Jr. and Tom Myers review Operation Dilido, a Group I Colombian Cali Cartel drug undercover investigation targeting one of the most prolific drug subjects, Julio "The Gun" Correa and his Miami based lieutenant, Nando. The case relied on surveillance and wiretap coverage of multiple cell phones, hard lines, pagers and was one of the first investigations where the Department Of Justice requested roving T-III wiretap intercepts from microphones placed within...

Retired agents Vince Pankoke, Jr. and Tom Myers review Operation Dilido, a Group I Colombian Cali Cartel drug undercover investigation targeting one of the most prolific drug subjects, Julio "The Gun" Correa and his Miami based lieutenant, Nando. The case relied on surveillance and wiretap coverage of multiple cell phones, hard lines, pagers and was one of the first investigations where the Department Of Justice requested roving T-III wiretap intercepts from microphones placed within...

Retired agent Bill Shute reviews the investigation of the murder of LaToyia Figueroa, a high-profile crime case where Figueroa, five-months pregnant, was killed by her boyfriend and her body disposed of in Chester, PA, in July 2005. Bill worked with detectives from the PPD’s homicide unit and, by analyzing cell site tower data, tracked the whereabouts of LaToyia Figueroa's boyfriend throughout the day she disappeared, as well as his journey that evening to Chester, PA. Bill Shute’s expert...

Dr. Kirk Yeager, the FBI’s Chief Explosives Scientist and FBI’s top bomb expert, reviews his experiences working as a Physical Scientist and Forensic Examiner for the FBI Laboratory’s Explosives Unit. He and his team are tasked with analyzing explosives made by terrorists and developing advanced techniques to detect and prevent the next bomb attack. Kirk has co-authored with his sister, Selene Yeager, The Bomb Doctor: A Scientist's Story of Bombers, Beakers, and Bloodhounds.  Check out...

Retired agent Todd Schliem reviews his investigation of violent gang members of the Harvey Hustlers and its enforcement arm, the Murder Squad. They were responsible for multiple killings associated with illegal drug sales in the New Orleans area, and ruled the streets of Harvey, Louisiana for nearly 30 years. As they got rid of their rivals, they eventually turned on each other. Most members ended up in prison or dead. The multi-agency case was code-named Operation Swagg Crazy. One of Todd's...

Retired agent Frank Burton, Jr. reviews a hate crime investigation where an Arab-American woman received a threatening note made up of vacation brochure clippings that warned “Remember 9/11” and “kids tie to the fence.” The victim feared that she and her two young children would be harmed. Frank conducted over 40 interviews to identify and arrest the surprising creator of the anonymous note. During the episode, Frank also talks about working on the Philadelphia FBI's Special Operations Group...

  Retired FBI agent Tom Blades and retired Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent Jim Weber review an undercover case involving a member of the Zetas Mexican drug cartel who wanted to hire someone to kidnap, torture, and murder a drug rival and his child as an act of retaliation. Jim went undercover as a biker willing to accept the murder-for-hire assignment. Tom posed as his associate. At the time of the investigation, Tom supervised the FBI Safe Streets Task Force in St. Louis,...

Retired agent Jeffrey Iverson reviews his assignments representing the FBI in Russia and Central Asia. He explores obstacles he and his colleagues faced while assigned as Legal Attaché in charge of FBI offices in Moscow and Legat for five former Soviet bloc countries. Jeff shares stories from his book, In The Belly of the Bear, about his first overseas terrorism case and the counterintelligence challenges that traditionally pose a danger to American government officials and/or businesspeople...

Retired agent Vito Roselli reviews his investigation of a bank robbery conspiracy operated by a violent West Philadelphia crew whose members were responsible for robberies in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and South New Jersey suburbs and the vicious home invasion assault of an elderly couple. One of Vito’s subjects, Chris Booker, convicted of multiple violations, including bank robbery and murder, takes part in the case review with Vito. Vito Roselli served in the FBI for 26...

Retired agent Charles “Chuck” Stuber reviews his investigation of John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and two-time presidential candidate, who faced charges for an alleged campaign finance law violation during his 2008 run for the White House. The accusations were that John Edwards used political donations to conceal from the public an ongoing extra-marital affair and resulting pregnancy, to protect and advance his candidacy. The trial had an unexpected outcome. Chuck served in the...

Retired agent and BAU profiler Leonard Opanashuk reviews his 2002 investigation of the murders of two young Oregon City schoolgirls, Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis, who, within two months of each other, disappeared under mysterious circumstances en route to their neighborhood school bus stop. Len, a relatively new agent with just over a year of experience in the FBI, was assigned the missing schoolgirls case and was present when investigators discovered the remains of both girls buried on a...

I teamed up with the Stop The Killing podcast. When the hosts, Katherine Schweit and Sara Ferris, invited me to be a guest on their show, I suggested we review the core principles of America's deadly force policy assumed by everyone who carries a gun, whether they’re a law enforcement officer or private citizen. I hope our conversation provides an understanding of what it’s like to carry a gun. I dedicate this show to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives in the line of...

Retired agent Mark Sewell reviews his investigation of mafia associate Steve Kaplan and Kaplan’s operation of The Gold Club, the infamous Atlanta strip club that hosted some of the most recognized professional athletes and celebrities in America. The Gold Club was the largest single money maker for the Gambino Crime Family. Kaplan, mobster Michael “Mikey Scars” DiLeonardo, and 13 others were charged with racketeering, money laundering and prostitution counts in an indictment that included...

Retired agent Frank Figliuzzi reviews the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings Initiative, a special unit that tracks the victims of serial murderers picked up at truck stops in one jurisdiction, sexually assaulted and murdered in another, and dumped along a highway in a third location. Frank shares how the transient nature of the offenders and the multiple jurisdictions involved make these cases incredibly difficult to solve and his journey to learn more about the victims and better understand the...

In Part 2 of this two-part episode, retired agents Mario Tariche and Raquel “Rocky” Cicini continue their review of Operation RECOIL, the investigation of Cocaine Cowboys Willy Falcon and Sal Magluta, to include their work with key cooperating witness Marilyn Bonachea. This case was memorialized in the Netflix series “Cocaine Cowboys Kings of Miami,” during which Mario and Rocky were interviewed.   Check out episode show notes, photos, and related articles:   Buy me a coffee -...

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, retired agents Mario Tariche and Raquel “Rocky” Cicini review their investigation of Willy Falcon, Sal Magluta, aka The Cocaine Cowboys and others, which resulted in the dismantlement of the largest drug trafficking organization in South Florida and provided the evidence of jury tampering and bribery in the acquittal verdict received in a prior drug case against the defendants. The case was code-named Operation RECOIL, an acronym for Racketeering,...

Retired FBI forensic artist Lisa Bailey reviews the FBI’s forensic facial approximation program, where she used skulls and anthropologist reports to create sculptures of unidentified individuals to help investigators seeking the public’s assistance in solving cold cases. She also reviews the 5-year research project she launched on behalf of the FBI at the University of Tennessee’s “Body Farm,” which resulted in the Bureau’s 3D digital and photographic forensic art reference collection of over...

FBI Retired Case File Review Live! was held on April 28 at the Punch Line comedy club in Philadelphia. This episode is the audio recorded during the live event. My on stage guests included retired agent Scott Duffey and his partner retired ATF special agent Terrance Mortimer, who take us behind the scenes of an unbelievable investigation they investigated, involving a nearly 2-decade-old unsolved homicide tenaciously pursued with the Philadelphia Police Department. During the second half of...

Retired agent Chris Campion reviews the Jaycee Dugard child abduction case, and his time investigating her disappearance throughout the 18 years she was missing. Chris and his FBI colleagues and local law enforcement partners diligently pursued viable leads from the day Jaycee was taken in 1991 right up to that day in 2009, when she was miraculously recovered. Chris also reviews how the FBI helped Jaycee and her daughters re-enter life. This is Chris’s first time talking publicly about the...

Retired agents Christian Anglin and Craig McLaughlin review Operation Crown Prince, an investigation into Afghan nationals residing in the U.S. transporting heroin into the country and providing proceeds to the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and insurgents as a means of material support for their operations combating U.S. and allied forces. The case was nicknamed “The Great Chicken Caper” as it originated with intelligence that proceeds were laundered through Afghan owned fried chicken businesses along...