My FBI

by Louis J. Freeh

  At the U.S. Attorney’s Office at the Southern District, Bob Fiske, John Martin, Rudy Giuliani, and Otto Obermaier were great U.S. attorneys under whom I was privileged to serve. My dear friend and mentor, Benito Romano, also served with distinction as U.S. attorney, and I was honored to be his deputy. It was at that moment in our lives we both realized that the “kids” had taken over the Office. Luckily, Southern District greats like Bart Schwartz, Tom Fitzpatrick, Larry Pedowitz, Denny Young, Jane Parver, Fred Virella, Walter Mack, Shirah Neiman, Mike Devorkin, Dan Bookin, Steve Frankel, John Kenney, Jo Ann Harris, Pat Hynes, John Kaley, Gerry Lynch, Bob Litt, Audrey Strauss, Rusty Wing, and others were there to protect us from ourselves.

  The many amazingly gifted lawyers who served in the Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office with me over ten years are too many to mention. Barbara Jones became one of my closest colleagues and friends. Her patience and generosity to me will always be treasured. Our Organized Crime Unit achieved historically significant victories against entrenched criminal enterprises. Bob Bucknam, Alan Cohen, Mark Hellerer, Bruce Baird, Aaron Marcu, Dick Martin, Adam Hoffinger, Fran Fragos-Townsend, Mike Chertoff, Andy McCarthy, Jim Bucknam, John Savarese, Joan McPhee, Tom Souther, Bob Stewart (from the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office), Mark Feldman, Gil Childers, Ken McCabe, Carl Bogan, Mike Fahy, and Tom Loreto all made major contributions to this success.

  Another Southern District colleague, the truly impressive and talented Mary Jo White, deserves special mention along with Barbara Jones. Both as assistant U.S. attorney and then as U.S. attorney in Brooklyn and later Manhattan, Mary Jo was simply outstanding as a leader, thinker, and model public servant. My only regret for her yet uncompleted public career is that she was not the attorney general while I was at the FBI. No law enforcement leader in either the Clinton or Bush administrations better understood terrorism or had the skill to prosecute its most important cases.

  My fellow judges from the Southern District and elsewhere provided great counsel and friendship for me, particularly through my years as FBI director. I am immensely grateful to Milton Pollack, Mike Mukasey, John Martin, Kevin Duffy, John Keenan, Ken Conboy, John Sprizzo, John Walker, Constance Baker Motley, Bob Sweet, Bill Conner, Loretta Preska, Barbara Jones, Charlie Brieant, Kimba Wood, Dick Casey, Miriam Goldman Ceder-baum, Tom Griesa, Shirley Wohl Kram, Peter Leisure, Larry McKenna, Lenny Sand, Sonia Sotomayor, Louis Stanton, Bob Ward, Edmond Palmieri, Ken Starr, Gene Sullivan, Ed Devitt, Gerry Tjoflat, John Conway, Fred Lacey, Ralph Thompson, Tom Hogan, Royce Lamberth, Frank Johnson, Sterling Johnson, and many others. Pierre Leval, one of the nation’s foremost jurists, is a dear friend from the court who I will always treasure.

  Our family dog, Reni, a sweet golden retriever from the Guiding Eyes of New York was not with us in Washington, but despite President Truman’s maxim about that combination, Marilyn and I had many friends in official Washington and in our neighborhood in Great Falls, Virginia. Our special thanks to Bill and Lynda Webster, Dick and Patricia Carlson, Antonin and Maureen Scalia, Floyd and Carol Clarke, Chris and Linda Wilcox, John and Caroline Oakes, Adam and Liz Hoffinger, Maggie and Ransom Parker, Jamie and Dee Jesse, and many others who were always there for us whether it was raining or shining.

  Another special word of thanks to the several stalwart secretaries who, despite my failings, managed to keep me afloat over the many years: Kathy MacGowan, Lydia Quintana, Maria Morales, Brenda Bumgardner, Wanda Siford, Judy Leeper, Carol Williams, and most enduringly, the very magnificent Noreen Gawley, who has been propping me up since 1991.

  Long before he was kind enough to come to the FBI with me as chief of staff, Bob Bucknam has been one of my closest friends and colleagues since the Southern District. An outstanding prosecutor, administrator, world-class diplomat, media and congressional expert, Bob was the consummate COS and is largely responsible for my success as director and for preventing my self-destruction at key points. Another major ingredient for my survival in D.C. was Bob’s equally talented brother, Jim Bucknam, who distinguished himself at the U.S. Attorney’s office and served the FBI as my senior counsel. To Howard Shapiro, our outstanding first FBI general counsel and VANPAC co-counsel, I owe a great deal of thanks for his good service. And John Collingwood will always be the master on judgment and success in dealing with the media and Congress.

  Over the many years, I have had the pleasure of working with another cadre of excellent lawyers who made my various government offices possible. Joyce Levowitz, Eileen Minnefor, Burke Doar, Lisa Jonas, and Lynn DeLisi were wonderful colleagues and remarkable lawyers with whom I was fortunate to work.

  At FBI Headquarters a thankfully endless roster of superbly talented and dedicated people have served and continue to serve the Bureau. First and foremost for me is John Behnke. This extraordinary and simply wonderful agent was for many years my right arm. Religiously humble, quiet, and constantly working behind the scenes, John is probably the FBI’s single best case agent/investigator. Working both VANPAC and the Rudolph cases, John was the quintessential agent’s agent who does it all with remarkable grace and skill. Among a constellation of dedicated agents and FBI heroes, John in my experience was the best of class. His skill as an agent and support to me as special assistant were matched only by his courage and perseverance in battling an aggressive illness to a fortunate victory.

  An able squad of agents and support professionals joined with John in working with me as director. These are the prototypic all-stars who make their principals appear to be prepared, on time and on message. My deep thanks here to Todd Letcher, Tom Almon, Artie Grubert, John Griglione, Bob Jones, Rick Todd, Mark D’Attilio, Lou Caprino, Ray Morrow, Sean Joyce, Bob Hunt, Ed Kahrer, Lisa Keller, Dean St. Dennis, Paul Blumberg, Lynn Hoffman, Charlotte Betts, Karen McCarron, Dave Markley, and Linda Sue Khachi. My appreciation to Wade Jackson and Mike Perry of the Quantico Firearms Unit whose dedication and friendship mean a great deal to me. Thanks to their diligence in keeping my firearms qualifications timely as director, I never had to take my gun away from myself. Many others helped me serve as director, like those brave officers who protected our children over eight years: Haejun Park, Mark Lewis, Allen Kittrell, Jacqueline Haynes, Eugene Grays, Bradford Walker, Shawn Melvin, Noel Gleason, Jaqueline Wilson, Richard McClendon, Dwain Johnson, Amy Riddick, Amy Cherry, Bryan Latham, and Roger Nickell. To our FBI photographers/receptionists Patti Jo Cotton, Suzette David, Margaret Sullivan, and Tracy Miner, and to Beverly Knight and all the 24×7 operators at the FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Center, my enduring thanks and respect.

  I was extremely fortunate to have a truly impressive group of senior FBI leaders who enabled me to lead this remarkable institution. They include Floyd Clarke, Dave Binney, Larry Potts, Bill Esposito, Bob Bryant, Tom Pickard, Larry Parkinson, Bob Reutter, Dale Watson, Mike DeFeo, Milt Ahlerich, Don Kerr, Tom Kelley, Sean McWeeney, Charlie Prouty, Paul Daly, Joe Genovese, Lance Emery, Mike diPretoro, Mike Pyszczymuka, Ralph Horton, Bassem Youssef, Eliska Tretera, Lee Flosi, Raul Salinas, Jim DeSarno, Steve McCraw, Paul Phillips, Mike Rolince, Walt Wilson, Barry Mawn, Mike Kortan, Charlie Steele, Andrea Simonton, John O’Neill, Carolyn Morris, Dave Kirkpatrick, Hector Pesquera, Les Kaciban, Weldon Kennedy, Manny Gonzalez, Bob Dies, Neil Gallagher, Bill Perry, Wiley Thompson, Rueben Garcia, Grant Ashley, John Pistole, Chris Swecker, Lew Schiliro, Ed Bodigheimer, Jack Eckenrode, Jeff Lapinski, and Jim Kallstrom.

  The courageous and devoted agents who make up the FBI’s world-renowned Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) will always command my loyalty and respect. Roger Nisley, Bob Hickey, Chuck Pierce, and a continuing lineage of heroes have given by their service and expert competence an unprecedented advantage to the FBI and our country in combating and preventing serious crimes. This skilled team of selfless and brave operators is the archetypal “tip of the spear” for America’s law enforcement. The courageous and honorable men who serve us there, like Lon Horiuchi, deserve the nation’s praise and lasting gratitude. I will also forever apprec
iate the support given to HRT by two friends and skilled lawyers, Adam Hoffinger and Seth Waxman.

  Throughout my public service in law enforcement, I always believed that my constituency was the victims and potential victims of crimes. These included the special agents who were killed in the line of duty while I was director. I will always feel personal responsibility for the tragic deaths of these brave agents: Martha Dixon Martinez, Mike Miller, Chuck Reed, Billy Christian, and Kevin Kramer. The FBI and our nation will forever honor their sacrifices and those of their wonderful families. Another special group of victims for me is the survivors of those killed while protecting all of us in the line of duty. To all the men and women inscribed on the Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., and always to their families, I express my deep thanks and reverence. And to all the survivors of our military heroes, especially the brave and wonderful families of our nineteen Khobar Towers heroes, I will always have the deepest love and admiration for all of them. America and the liberty we cherish would vanish without the long but vulnerable line of defense provided by our many law enforcement and military guardians posted dangerously around our perimeters.

  I am immensely grateful to former President Bush and his wondrous wife, First Lady Barbara, for their friendship and support over many years. President Bush’s confidence in me to serve as a federal judge was one of the highlights of my professional life. Their many kindnesses to me and Marilyn and our six sons, from Kennebunkport to Washington, D.C., to Texas, will always be treasured by our family. As for the current President Bush, under whom I was FBI director for five months, it was a pleasure to serve a president of honor and integrity, just like his father. I regret that I did not have a longer opportunity to work with Vice President Cheney, Andy Card, Condi Rice, and Colin Powell, all public servants whom I greatly admire.

  Last and most important, I am grateful for my Roman Catholic heritage and faith in God. For this special gift I have many to thank, beginning with my parents. Cardinals John O’Connor, Theodore McCarrick, Bernard Law, and Bishop Saltarelli have all contributed to and strengthened my faith over the years. Other dear friends, who have been spiritual and moral leaders for me, like Elie Wiesel and Abe Foxman, will always be remembered in my heart and prayers.

  INDEX

  The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages of your eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.

  Abdullah, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia:

  Bush’s meeting with

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  Abscam sting operation

  Addonizio, Hugh

  Afghanistan

  bin Laden and

  U.S. invasion of

  Alaimo, Tony

  Alawe, Fadel al—

  Albright, Madeleine

  Campcon and

  Ames, Aldrich

  Anastasia, Albert “the Mad Hatter,”

  Anastasia, Anthony

  antitrust cases

  Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM)

  Ashcroft, John

  Atef, Muhammad

  Atia, Alaa Abdul Raziq

  Atlanta, Ga.

  Centennial Park bombing and

  Moody case and

  Atta, Mohammed

  Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, U.S.

  Freeh’s appointment to

  Moody case and

  Pizza Connection case and

  and prosecutions resulting from Pistone’s work

  Badalamenti, Gaetano

  Badalamenti, Vito

  Baird, Bruce

  bank fraud, bank theft

  Banks, Ted

  Barone, George

  Barr, Bill

  Beers, Rand

  Behnke, John

  Beiting, Henr y

  Bell, Griffin

  Bennett, Bob

  BenVeniste, Richard

  Berenbaum, Michael

  Berger, Samuel R. “Sandy,”

  and attack on Sudanese pharmaceutical factory

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  Berger, Samuel R. “Sandy,” (cont.) millennial fears and

  Biden, Joe

  bin Laden, Osama

  Afghanistan and

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  9/11 and

  search for

  Binney, David

  bin Sultan, Bandar, Prince of Saudi Arabia:

  Bush-Abdullah meeting and

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  parties of

  Blanton, Thomas, Jr.

  Bloomberg, Michael

  Blumberg, Paul

  Boiardo, Anthony “Tony Boy,”

  Bonanno family

  Pizza Connection case and

  and prosecutions resulting from Pistone’s work

  Bonavolonta, Joe

  Bonavolonta, Jules

  Boone, David Sheldon

  Bosnia

  Bradley, Bill

  Branch Davidians

  Brennan, John

  Brieant, Charlie

  Bronfman, Samuel, II

  Bryant, Robert “Bear,”

  Bucharest, FBI agents in

  Bucknam, Bob

  Bucknam, Jim

  Buda, Dominick

  Budapest, FBI agents in

  Bumpers, Dale

  Burns, Conrad

  Burton, Dan

  Buscetta, Tommasso:

  Maxi Trials and

  Pizza Connection case and

  Bush, George H. W.

  Freeh’s federal judgeship and

  Freeh’s relationship with

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  Moody case and

  Bush, George W.

  Hanssen case and

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  9/11 and

  Byrd, James, Jr.

  campaign contribution investigation (Campcon)

  Canada

  Cannon, Howard

  Card, Andy

  Carey, Hugh

  Carlson, Dick and Patricia

  Carter, Jimmy

  Case, Clifford P.

  Cassidy, Bob

  Catalano, Salvatore “Toto,”

  Cawley, Charlie

  Centennial Park bombing

  Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

  accountability of

  and attack on Sudanese pharmaceutical factory

  bin Laden and

  cooperation between FBI and

  finances of

  Graysuit investigation and

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  millennial fears and

  9/11 and

  placing FBI agents abroad and

  traitors in

  Cherry, Bobby Frank

  Chertoff, Mike

  Chicago Seven

  children:

  crimes against

  in Oklahoma City bombing

  Chinciola, Josephine Murano (grandmother)

  Chinciola, Luigi (grandfather)

  Chinciola, Lydia (aunt)

  Church Committee

  Cincotta, Joseph

  Citibank

  Civil War

  Clarke, Floyd

  Foster’s suicide and

  Freeh’s FBI directorship appointment and

  Clarke, Richard A.

  Clemente, Mike

  Clinton, Bill

  Campcon and

  FBI’s finances and

  FBI’s privacy issues and

  Flowers and

  Foster’s suicide and

  Freeh given White House tour by

  Freeh’s FBI directorship appointment and

  Freeh’s relationship with

  Jones and

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  Lewinsky scandal and

  Madison Guaranty case and

  millennial fears and

  9/11 and

  pardons and commutations of


  Riyadh bombing and

  social life of

  Travelgate and

  Waco siege and

  Whitewater case and

  Clinton, Hillary Rodham

  Freeh’s relationship with

  Madison Guaranty case and

  Whitewater case and

  Clinton, Roger

  Cochran, John

  Cohen, Bill

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  Cole, USS, attack on

  Coler, Jack

  Collingwood, John

  Comey, James B., Jr.

  computer-aided crimes

  Congress, U.S.

  Campcon and

  FBI’s accountability and

  FBI’s finances and

  FBI’s history and

  Freeh’s FBI directorship appointment and

  Freeh’s federal judgeship and

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  Lee investigation and

  Mafia and

  9/11 and

  Oklahoma City bombing and

  privacy issues and

  white-collar crime and

  Constantine, Tom

  Constitution, U.S.

  Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO)

  Crist, Buckley

  Cuba

  D’Amato, Alphonse

  Danforth, John

  DeBartolo, Edward, Jr.

  Defense Department, U.S. (DOD)

  Khobar Towers bombing and

  millennial fears and

  9/11 attack on

  privacy issues and

  De Gennaro, Gianni

  Deutsch, John

  Devitt, Edward J.

  Freeh’s federal judgeship and

  Moody case and

  Dies, Bob

  DiLeo, Joe

  Doar, Burke

  Dorfman, Allen

  Duffy, Kevin

  Dulles, Allen

  Edwards, Don

  Edwards, Edwin

  Emery, Tom

  Erwin, Lloyd

  Esposito, Bill

  Fahd, King of Saudi Arabia

  Falcone, Francesca Morvilio

  Falcone, Giovanni:

  assassination of

  Maxi Trials and

  Pizza Connection case and

  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):