Special Agent in Charge for @FBIChicago Announces Retirement

Michael J. Anderson, special agent in charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced his retirement, effective September 30, 2017, culminating twenty-two years of service with the FBI.

Mr. Anderson has led the FBI Chicago Field Office since October 2015. Among his many efforts, Mr. Anderson increased the division’s resources to investigate violent crime with local law enforcement agencies, to include adding an additional street gang squad and a homicide squad to the criminal program. Mr. Anderson also enhanced the resources to support the division’s community outreach program, established a stand-alone civil rights squad, and significantly increased diversity recruiting efforts; recognizing the better we know our communities, the better we can protect them.

Mr. Anderson entered on duty as a special agent with the FBI in July 1995. He reported to the Miami Division, where he investigated public corruption, including a juror bribery case involving a continuing criminal enterprise that imported more than 75 tons of cocaine into the Miami metropolitan area.

In 2001, Mr. Anderson reported to the Washington Field Office to supervise investigations into public corruption, government fraud, and civil rights. During his tenure, he supervised the investigation of super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson.

In 2006, Mr. Anderson returned to the Public Corruption Unit at FBIHQ as its chief. In this role, he oversaw the Hurricane Fraud Initiative to address Katrina-related public corruption and government fraud, and he launched the International Contract Corruption Initiative (ICCI) targeting Iraq reconstruction-related fraud and corruption. The ICCI eventually evolved into a permanent unit in the Criminal Investigative Division.

In July 2012, Mr. Anderson reported to the New Orleans Division as the special agent in charge. While overseeing all FBI operations for the state of Louisiana, he supervised notable successful investigations involving the Deepwater Horizon environmental disaster, former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, and the Harvey Hustlers—a notorious neighborhood-based violent gang.

Looking back on his career, Mr. Anderson said, “It was truly an honor and a privilege to lead the tirelessly dedicated and professional men and women of the Chicago Division, a flagship office of the FBI in both national security and criminal law enforcement.”

Mr. Anderson has accepted a corporate security position with Arizona Public Service (APS) in Phoenix, Arizona.