Eric Velez-Villar Named Assistant Director of the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence

Director Robert S. Mueller, III named Eric Velez-Villar assistant director of the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence (DI). Mr. Velez-Villar most recently served as deputy assistant director of the DI’s Intelligence Operations Branch at FBI Headquarters.

Mr. Velez-Villar entered on duty with the FBI in 1985 in the San Juan Division. In 1992, he became a special agent and was assigned to the San Antonio Division, where he worked organized crime and drug matters. Mr. Velez-Villar then returned to the San Juan Division, where he investigated public corruption cases.

He returned as a supervisory special agent at FBI Headquarters in 2000, where he was detailed to the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Special Operations Division. Mr. Velez-Villar coordinated major drug trafficking investigations throughout the U.S.

In 2002, he transferred to the Los Angeles Division. He supervised organized crime and drug matters and the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). In 2004, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Division’s counterterrorism program.

Mr. Velez-Villar also co-chaired the Area Maritime Security Committee with the U.S. Coast Guard captain of the port and was responsible for securing the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the nation’s two largest seaports. He also served as co-chair of the Airport Security Advisory Committee, responsible for the security of Los Angeles International Airport as well as the airports in Burbank, Ontario, and Van Nuys, California.

Two years later, Mr. Velez-Villar was promoted to deputy director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center in Washington, D.C. In 2008, Velez-Villar was appointed as the first special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Division’s newly created Intelligence Division.

Mr. Velez-Villar was a recipient of the 2008 Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service.