FBI Retired Case File Review with Jerri Williams

Retired Supervisory Special Agent John Whiteside served 30 years with the FBI. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, he reviews his investigation of the longest open espionage case every brought before the U.S. courts. Thirty-two years after former NSA employee (and NSA spy) Robert Lipka  sold vital military secrets to the KGB, John was able to gather the evidence that finally exposed the betrayal. For his outstanding work on this espionage case, in March of 1997, John received from Director of the CIA George Tenet the National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction. During the interview, John also talks about his assignment to a small satellite FBI office in rural Mississippi in the early 1970’s. John has authored two books, Fool’s Mate and Cypress Shade, which provide further details about his career with the Bureau.   Retired Supervisory Special Agent John W. Whiteside III 4/12/1971 – 2/2/2001                       John reminds us how vulnerable national security remains to individuals motivated by greed.                           John reflects on his assignment to a remote FBI office in Greenville, Mississippi in 1972 that forever changed his life.                                                                                                                           Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and Stitcher. Her novel—Pay To Play— about a female agent investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry is available at Amazon.com.   This episode was sponsored by FBIRetired.

Retired Special Agent Bobby Chacon served in the FBI for 27 years. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Bobby shares stories about working in New York on a Jamaican drug gang squad where his and his squad mates efforts disrupted and dismantled the violent Gullymen Posse. He also talks about another highlight of his career – being a member and team leader of the FBI’s Dive Team conducting  search and evidence response at underwater crime scenes around the world. Currently, Bobby works as the technical advisor for the new series Criminal Minds – Beyond Borders which premieres on Wednesday, March 16. Bobby can be contacted via FBIRetired.com.   FBI Retired Special Agent Robert Chacon 9/13/1987 – 7/30/2014                                                                                                 Bobby Chacon leads the FBI dive teams in New York and Los Angeles and sets up and trains members in Miami and Washington D. C. Here are a few videos of Bobby being interviewed about the dive teams: FBI Los Angeles Dive Team – CBS2 News FBI Dive Team on FOX11 News  – LA Careers in Diving: Interview with FBI Dive Team Leader, Bobby Chacon                                                                                                                                                                     Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on

Retired Special Agent Jeff Covington served in the FBI for 22 years. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Jeff is interviewed about his assignment on a Violent Crimes Squad and two shoot outs he was involved in while in the Kansas City Division. Jeff also reviews how, later in his career when assigned to the Fugitive Task Force in the Philadelphia Division, he participated in tracking two of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives. Andrew Cunanan murdered five men, including one in Pennsville, New Jersey and fashion designer Gianni Versace in Miami. Joseph Martin Luther Gardner raped and murdered a woman in Savannah, Georgia before being located and captured in Philadelphia.   Special Agent (Retired) JEFFERY L. COVINGTON 11/25/1984 – 09/30/2007                                               Jeff Covington and Philadelphia Fugitive Task Force Members Track Two of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives More Information regarding the above-mentioned fugitive investigations: South Carolina State Post-Conviction Relief Court documents – Joseph Martin Luther Gardner Andrew Cunanan Murders a Fashion Icon                                                                                                                                             Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and Stitcher. Her novel—Pay To Play— about a female agent investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry is available at Amazon.com.   This episode was sponsored by FBIRetired.

Retired Supervisory Special Agent Jim Wedick served in the FBI for nearly 35 years. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Jim talks about his assignment as an undercover agent in the Bureau’s very first long-term undercover investigation. The case,  Major Case 1, was captioned OPFOPEN – short for Operation Fountain Pen.  The investigation marked a significant shift in FBI priorities and the first time the Bureau operated a sophisticated attack on organized crime networks, financial criminals and con-men using White-Collar Crime violations to prosecute off shore criminal enterprises. The case is the subject of a book, Chasing Phil by David Howard, and will be made in to a feature film. Jim mentions several other notable cases, including bribery case, – dubbed by the California media as “Shrimp Scam” – for which he received the Director’s Award in 1994 and a large Health Care Fraud case he supervised. We acknowledge his wife, retired special agent Nancy Wedick, who teamed up with his on several successful cases.     Supervisory Special Agent (Retired) JAMES J. WEDICK, JR. 12/29/1969 – 04/30/2005                                                                                                                                 WEDICK AND PARTNER  JOHN BRENNAN PARTICPATED IN THE BUREAU’S FIRST MAJOR UNDERCOVER CASE – OPERATION FOUNTAIN PEN Newspaper articles about Operation Fountain Pen: King of Scam Royally Conned Pigeons Until FBI Caged Him Con Man Gets Stung at His Own Game_                                                                                           Retired FBI Agents Talk About O...

Retired supervisory special agent Sherman Hopkins served 22 years with the FBI. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, he reviews a horrific kidnapping case he worked while assigned to the Dallas Division. The case involved three little girls who went missing from their neighborhoods over a three-year period. The only thing their abductions had in common was a white van seen in the vicinity of these separate incidents. He also shares how this case affected him as a young father and his admiration for the families, particularly one of the mothers, who fought to make sure they would eventually learn what happened to their daughters.   Supervisory Special Agent (Retired) Sherman Hopkins, Sr. 07/29/1985 – 07/31/2007                           From Kidnapping to Corruption A Career in Law Enforcement on the Local, State and Federal Level Here are links to newspaper articles about the cases Sherman discussed during his interview: Dallas Kidnappings Dallas Morning News 2-15-86 Dallas Morning News 2-25-86 Missing Girl’s Mother Search Continues David Penton interview Jailed Ohio Child Killer Eyed In East Texas Case Convicted killer extradited to Texas Philadelphia Police Officer – Drug Theft Case He’ll Sing To Skip Jail Ex-cop Admits Role In Ma                                                                                                                                 Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and

Retired agent Judy Tyler served 31 years as an agent with the FBI. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, Judy talks about being one of the first women to join the Norfolk, Virginia police department and the dangerous drug world she navigated for most of her FBI career. Post retirement, she continues to share her experience and expertise by training current agents to develop informants as part of a specialized FBI in-service program. We discussed the importance of working well with confidential sources and cooperating witnesses and how crucial this skill set is to the success of the Bureau.     Special Agent (Retired) Judith A. Tyler 12/10/1979 – 7/31/2010                     A Career Working Drug Cases to Combat Illegal Distribution   Links to newspaper articles related to the cases Judy worked during her distinguished career with the FBI: Kingpin is guilty in murder for hire Maurice Phillips arranged the slaying of a Montco woman who was cooperating with the FBI. Convicted killer, drug ring kingpin Maurice Phillips gets 4 life terms Drug kingpin Maurice Phillips’ girlfriend gets 12 years Tough Talk About Cheap Lives And Costly Highs  (Pizza undercover case) Bullets fly as cops capture drug suspect (Ugly Squad)                                                                                                                       Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and Stitcher. Her novel—Pay To Play— about a female agent investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry is available at Amazon.com.

Jim Fitzgerald, a former FBI profiler, served twenty years with the FBI. Jim is one of the most respected forensic analysts and linguistics experts in the country. In addition to his many “expert” court appearances, Jim is called upon for his expertise by the entertainment and news industries. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, he reviews his role in solving the Unabomber case and several other  high-profile investigations, as well as his work as a technical consultant on the TV shows Criminal Minds and Sleepy Hollow and regular appearances on CNN for expert commentary on current events. We also chat about his memoir – A Journey to the Center of the Mind: Book 1. Supervisory Special Agent (Retired) James R. Fitzgerald 11/7/1987 – 11/30/2007                     Working on the Unabomer case task force You can connect with Jim Fitzgerald at his website – jamesrfitzgerald.com. He is currently a partner with the Academy Group, Inc. the world’s largest privately owned forensic behavioral science firm. Links to articles about Jim’s work: Should texts, e-mail, tweets and Facebook posts be the new fingerprints in court? Inside the debate over whether our language choices are as distinctive as our DNA. Stockton professors minds behind ‘Criminal Minds.’ John White and James Fitzgerald technical advisers for TV shows                                               FBI history video and review of the Unabomber case.                                                                               Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and

Retired agent Ray Carr served twenty-five years with the FBI. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, he reviews his training as a hostage negotiator and profiler in the field and his investigation of Carl Gugasian, one of the most prolific bank robbers ever investigated by the FBI. The case features hidden bunkers containing stashes of cryptic maps, weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and thousands of dollars in cash.     Special Agent (Retired) Ray Carr 4/3/1989 – 12/31/2014                         Ray also talks about investigating an international car theft ring as a new agent in the Buffalo Division, his first office of assignment. He mentions the collateral training he received at the FBI Behavioral Science Unit, now known as the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The highlight of the interview with Ray Carr is his case file review of the infamous hunt for an unknown Friday night serial bank robber. How two boys helped the FBI find the Freddie Krueger-loving ‘Friday Night Bank Robber’ Carl Gugasian – Wikipedia Worlds Greatest Bank Robber                                                             Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and Stitcher. Her novel—Pay To Play— about a female agent investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry is available at Amazon.com.   This episode was sponsored by FBIRetired.com – the only on-line directory made available to the general public featuring “retired” FBI AGENTS / ANALYSTS interested in showcasing their skills to secure business opportunities.    

Welcome to the first episode of FBI Retired Case File Review with Jerri Williams. This true crime podcast features interviews with retired FBI agents discussing their careers and their most intriguing cases. I also talk about crime fiction and crime dramas – books, television shows and movies – especially those depicting the FBI.  In this episode, retired agent Tom Cotton who served twenty-five years with the FBI, reviews his Bureau career. Prior to his retirement in 1995, he worked on a case involving a corrupt Dallas City Councilman. Tom was the administrative case agent. Tom he explains how the case was initiated and talks about the results of this high-profile investigation.   Special Agent (Retired) Tom Cotton 11/2/1970 – 3/6/1995                         For my first show I decided to interview retired agent Tom Cotton. I chose Tom because, although he is now living back in the Philadelphia region and is currently the Chairman of the Charles Reed – Philadelphia Chapter of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI, he served all of his career outside the area. Prior to sitting next to him at the chapter’s holiday luncheon last month, we had never met. During our first meeting he somehow convinced me to become his Vice Chair. This interview was the perfect opportunity for me to get to know him better. Tom entered on duty (EOD’d) with the FBI on November 2, 1970, more than 45 years ago. During his 25-year career, he was assigned to six different FBI offices, Charlotte, New York, Washington Field Office, San Juan, Miami, and Dallas.  He worked a variety of investigations, including chasing soviet spies, bank robbery, organized crime, applicant matters, intellectual property crime and public corruption.   Paul Fielding – Public Corruption Investigation Here’s a summary of the case and links to related news articles. Paul Fielding was the first sitting Dallas City Council member to be indicted on corruption charges. Paul Fielding pleaded guilty in 1997 to extorting money from companies and received 41 months in prison. (Case summary ZoomInfo) Should Paul Fielding go to jail? Investors’ suit lost in Fielding indictments                             Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing crime fiction and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast available for subscription on iTunes and Stitcher. Her novel—Pay To Play— about a female agent investigating corruption in the Philadelphia strip club industry is available at Amazon.com.