The new boss of the FBI’s St. Louis Division is the same as the old boss: Roland J. Corvington.
Corvington returns to the St. Louis field office, which he previously directed from 2005 to 2007, on October 13 after two years at FBI Headquarters as assistant director of the FBI’s Security Division.
He replaces Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies, who is departing to run the much larger Miami Division after an eventful two years in St. Louis.
Corvington has held leadership positions in several FBI field offices and at headquarters, and he has led task forces and sections dealing with a wide range of the agency’s investigative missions.
As former section chief of the New Agents Training Programs Section at the FBI Academy, Corvington even knows how to shape an FBI agent from scratch.
He spoke to The St. Louis American by phone Tuesday afternoon about returning to a city that he loves. This is a no-nonsense leader who is proud of his agency and his position within it – and who is ready to get down to business.
As he said himself, Corvington is all about “mission accomplishment.”
The St. Louis American: I am sure you and John Gillies have been having transition conversations that you won’t be able to share with us, but what is your sense of the mission and status of the office you are returning to?
Special Agent in Charge Roland J. Corvington: The current mission of the office has not changed, in that the director (Robert S. Mueller III) has set forth priorities for the FBI, and our field divisions (which includes the St. Louis division) need to follow those priorities.
Clearly, the national security mission still remains the top priority overall for the FBI – national security, of course, being comprised of our counter-terrorism efforts, counter-intelligence efforts, and cyber efforts related to counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence.
Now, on the criminal side of our house, public corruption is our No. 1 criminal priority, but there are other areas of concern to the criminal program and those include civil rights, mortgage fraud, health care fraud, corporate fraud, crimes against children, criminal gangs, just to name a few.
American: We had St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Dan Isom in the office, and he spoke of his outreach efforts to the FBI and other federal agencies seeking cooperation in investigating the criminal drug trade.
Corvington: I know that John Gillies established a criminal gang squad. The agents assigned to that squad worked hand-in-hand with the local police. I would imagine the cooperation has been strong and will continue to be strong with the St. Louis city police and the other partners that we have.
American: The public agencies you are mandated to hold accountable include the city police department. In recent months we have seen the indictment of Greg Shepard (a former city cop who worked for S&H Parking Systems, which had a lucrative contract with the police) and plea agreements with several police officers. What is it like to investigate an agency you also collaborate with?
Corvington: The agency is usually as concerned about the issue as we are, so there is a collaboration with respect to many of these investigations. Much like the manner in which the FBI may investigate its own and do it objectively and often in collaboration with other agencies, such as the Office of the Inspector General. I see no problem in collaborating on investigations of mutual concern in other areas and working collaboratively on issues that may involve police misconduct with that same organization.
American: Our paper has stepped forward in covering John Gillies’ open plea for assistance from the public in reporting public corruption. But we report primarily to the African-American community, which has a well-established bias against so-called “snitching” and often feels unsafe reporting crime to investigative agencies. What can you say to allay their fears that they are wasting their time if they “snitch” to the feds or even putting themselves in danger?
Corvington: If the public desires that we are effective in what we do – and by “we,” I mean collectively law enforcement generally, and the FBI specifically – then we need their cooperation. We can’t effectively carry out our mandates without the cooperation of the public, and obviously the public includes those individuals who may be the victims of crimes perpetuated against them by public officials – or others.
American: Let’s say you are aware of crimes being committed by your municipal government or your local police; you have inside information that you know is valuable. You are Andre Q. Public, and you say, “I’ve got to get this off my chest.” You call the FBI. What happens?
Corvington: The individual can expect we would want to follow up regarding their allegations. If it’s a phone conversation that requires a follow-up interview that either allows the individual to clarify or expand upon their allegation, they can expect that we will reach out to interview them. And based upon what is articulated by the individual we may proceed in many ways, whether it’s a preliminary inquiry or a full-blown investigation. And, of course, whatever information is provided by the individual we would seek to corroborate through other means
American: Would you be able to protect their anonymity?
Corvington: That depends on various factors. If the individual is a victim of a crime, as a victim of a crime at some point in time that individual may be called upon to testify in court as to what happened to that individual. If the individual provides information based upon something someone else told the individual, depending upon the fact pattern, that will enable us to discern how we should deal with that individual.
American: Recently, we have seen plea agreements and indictments for conspiracy to obstruct justice relating to campaign fraud that was covered up poorly; bribery; jailors smuggling drugs into a City jail; police officers stealing drug sale proceeds, pinning drug busts on innocent people and falsifying police reports; and a large number of varieties of fraud associated with the S&H Towing business. Without tipping your hand, what other forms of corruption are the subject of ongoing investigations?
Corvington: Public corruption is an important criminal priority for us and it comes in many forms, depending on the individual, whether the individual holds a public office, is in the judiciary, is an elected official or is a police officer. Depending on the circumstance, that will dictate the nature of the corruption. Regardless of the category, if it’s corruption we would like that information.
American: We are a very independent paper with a single individual owner. In the past we have been accused of running wild with rumors. More recently we have watched our counterparts at the daily paper do much more of that sort of thing, as we do less. Recently they did a front-page news story on the county executive based on “unconfirmed rumors” and “swirling whispers.” What is your response when local media do stories on “unconfirmed rumors” about investigations you may or may not be engaged in?
Corvington: We don’t act on “unconfirmed rumors.” We act and proceed on information that’s credible, information that can be corroborated.
American: At some point does the media interfere with your ability to do your job and serve the public?
Corvington: The media has their job to do, and the FBI has its job to do. There are certain protections afforded the public and others with respect to the First Amendment that enable the media to publish information to be consumed by members of the public. If in fact there may be a time when reporting could potentially jeopardize an ongoing investigation, I would hope that there could be discussion between the FBI and members of the media with respect to the implications of the information put forth.
American: What has it been like for you as an African-American man to rise toward the top of a very exciting and dangerous field?
Corvington: It’s been certainly a privilege for me to be employed by the FBI. I’ve been with the FBI 22 years, and I’ve found my employment with the FBI most purposeful. And I believe freely that hard work, perseverance and dedication to duty do result in opportunity.
American: Without aggrandizing yourself, what do you think it means to the public, and particularly young people, to see an African-American man in a leadership position at the FBI?
Corvington: I certainly would hope they would view it as something that is not untouchable – that if there is any interest at all in law enforcement, clearly the FBI is within reach, provided that you go to school and do the right things, if you will, prior to making the application.
American: What would be the value to the public if the FBI had more African-American applicants?
Corvington: The value would be tremendous. We live in a quite diverse society, and any organization that seeks to be effective within that society should reflect the demographics of that society. (See www.fbijobs.gov for information on working for the FBI.)
American: John Gillies was a crusader type, who gave some fire-and-brimstone speeches on the courthouse steps that will not be forgotten soon in St. Louis. You strike a different tone, but I take it you will mean just as much business when you report for duty on October 13.
Corvington: That’s correct.
American: Anything you’d like to add?
Corvington: We rely heavily upon the public for its information. I know public corruption has been an issue of late that has surfaced, and oftentimes corruption operates under a shroud of secrecy that only few may have insight to. But someone does, and if you have that information, to act upon it is key. In the same light, we rely upon the public’s confidence in the FBI to be able to carry out its duties in a very fair, impartial manner.
To contact FBI St. Louis, call (314) 589-2500 or email: stlouis@ic.fbi.gov.
