Deputy Director Thomas J. Pickard,
second in command at the FBI, will retire at the end of November
after almost 27 years of service as a Special Agent. Pickard,
who has been overseeing the parallel investigations into the
"Pentbom" terrorist attacks of September 11 and the
series of deadly East Coast anthrax mailings, will return to
New York where he began his career as a Special Agent in 1975.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller
III heralded Pickard as a "dedicated investigator and innovative
manager" who left his mark on the FBI.
"Tom Pickard brought to
the FBI the personal and professional qualities that we hold
highest. His career testifies to his uncompromising integrity
and absolute dedication to the FBI, law enforcement and the American
people. Tom has distinguished himself as an investigator, supervisor
and executive involved in some of the toughest cases and most
innovative programs ever undertaken by the FBI--and most recently
one of the greatest challenges ever confronted by the FBI and
our nation. He will be sorely missed here at the FBI and throughout
the law enforcement community across the country and the world,"
Mueller said.
Attorney General John Ashcroft
said: "Tom Pickard has served his country with honor and
distinction during his many years of service to the FBI. In
supervising such investigations as the terrorist attacks on September
11, 2001 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Tom has been
a long-serving soldier in the ongoing war against terrorism.
"His commitment to law enforcement
is a standard we should all strive to meet as we carry out our
obligation to uphold justice, protect our citizens and promote
peace. He will be missed by the Department of Justice, the FBI
and law enforcement officials around the country," Ashcroft
said.
Popular among both managers and
the rank and file, Pickard is known for his open-door policy
with FBI employees. As Deputy Director, he encouraged employees
to communicate directly with him on issues important to them.
Pickard, 50, spent his FBI career
in New York and Washington, D.C. As a new Agent in New York
he worked such cases as the kidnaping of an heir to the Seagram's
fortune. Later, he was transferred to Washington and assigned
to the House Committee on Appropriations Surveys and Investigations
staff.
In April 1979, Pickard was transferred
to the Washington, D.C., Field Office where he worked in an
undercover capacity on the case code named "ABSCAM."
In July, 1980, he was promoted to FBI Headquarters, serving
in the Inspection and Criminal Investigative Divisions.
In October, 1984, Pickard reported
to the New York Field Office as a supervisor in the White Collar
Crime Section. In 1987, he was appointed Assistant Special Agent
in Charge for all White Collar Crime investigations in the New
York Field Office, and in 1989 for all Violent Crime matters.
Later in 1989, Pickard was selected
for the FBI's Senior Executive Service and was transferred to
FBI Headquarters, where he oversaw the FBI's finance operations
and, subsequently, its personnel operations. In 1993, Pickard
was promoted to the New York Field Office to serve as the Special
Agent in Charge of its National Security Division, supervising
the trials of the World Trade Center bombing defendants, the
trial of Sheik Omar Ahmed Ali Abdel Rahman and his co-conspirators,
the conviction of Ramzi Youssef and his associates for plotting
to blow up the U. S. airliners, and the day-to-day investigation
into the explosion of TWA 800.
On September 10, 1996, FBI Director
Louis Freeh named Pickard to the position of Assistant Director
in Charge of the Washington Field Office. In that capacity, Pickard
oversaw such matters as the investigation of the Earl Pitts espionage
case, the overseas capture of convicted CIA killer Mir Aimal
Kasi, and the Al Hayat letter bomb case.
On February 2, 1998, Pickard
assumed the position of Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal
Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters where he oversaw such
investigations as the capture of Top Ten Fugitives Rafael Resendez-Ramirez
and Martin Frankel, the Operation Sudden Stop cargo/vehicle theft
initiative, and the initial investigation of the East Africa
Embassy bombings.
In November 1999, he was appointed
by Freeh as Deputy Director.
"Tom brought to the senior
ranks of the FBI visionary management and a level of fiscal control
that will serve us well during this period of transition,"
Director Mueller said. "It is a legacy of which he should
be proud."
Pickard was born in Woodside,
Queens, New York where he also received his early education.
He graduated from St. Francis College, Brooklyn, New York, in
1972 with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting.
Mr. Pickard received his Masters of Business Administration
Degree in Taxation from St. John's University, Jamaica, New York,
in 1974. He is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed by the
state of New York.