Rafael J. Garcia, Jr. Named Special Agent in Charge of the Intelligence Division at FBI Los Angeles

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has named Rafael J. Garcia, Jr. the special agent in charge of the Intelligence Division at FBI Los Angeles. Mr. Garcia most recently served as director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) in Quantico, Virginia. TEDAC provides direct support to broader U.S. government efforts to prevent and mitigate improvised-explosive device attacks by performing advanced exploitation of IEDs through physical examination resulting in scientific and technical information and intelligence of value.

Mr. Garcia joined the FBI in 1995. As a special agent assigned to the Phoenix Field Office, he investigated drug, organized crime, and terrorism cases and served as a Weapons of Mass Destruction program coordinator. While assigned to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 1999, Mr. Garcia held several positions related to intelligence and counterterrorism, including chief of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Countermeasures Unit.

In 2004, Mr. Garcia served as the FBI’s deputy on-scene commander in Iraq. In this role, he was responsible for the day-to-day operational activity of FBI personnel, among others. In 2007, he was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office. In this role, he supervised the Field Intelligence Group and Intelligence program as well as the White-Collar, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights programs.

An émigré from Cuba, Mr. Garcia was raised in Baltimore and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy. During his 12 years in the military, he served in infantry, ranger, and aviation units, to include a combat tour as an Apache attack helicopter company commander with the 101st Airborne Division during the 1991 Gulf War and as a battalion operations officer after the war. Mr. Garcia left the U.S. Army in 1995 to join the FBI.

He has a Master of Counseling degree from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Science degree in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Joint Military Intelligence College.

April Brooks Named Special Agent in Charge of Criminal Division in New York

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has named April Brooks special agent in charge of the Criminal Division in the FBI’s New York Division. Ms. Brooks most recently served as special assistant to the executive assistant director of the Human Resources Branch.

 ,

Ms. Brooks began her career as a special agent with the FBI in July 1990. She first reported to the Los Angeles Division, where she investigated white-collar crime, violent crime, violent gangs, drugs, and crimes against children.

In September 2000, Ms. Brooks was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Crimes Against Children Unit at FBI Headquarters. In this role, she oversaw the Innocent Images National Initiative as well as child abductions and international parental kidnapping investigations. In December 2002, she was reassigned to the newly established Cyber Division to continue oversight of the Innocent Images National Initiative.

Ms. Brooks was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Baltimore Division in September 2003. While there, she served as the crisis management coordinator and was responsible for the Criminal Enterprise Program. In January 2004, she was named the supervisor responsible for an investigation involving the death of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathon Luna, District of Maryland.

In August 2007, Ms. Brooks was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Intelligence, Counterterrorism, and Special Operations Programs in the Baltimore Division. In January 2008, she was selected to oversee the Intelligence Branch, including the HUMINT, Foreign Language, and Applicant Programs, along with the division’s cross-programmatic capabilities.

In February 2010, Ms. Brooks was promoted into the Senior Executive Service as an inspector in the Inspection Division. In 2012, she was named special assistant to the executive assistant director of the Human Resources Branch.

Ms. Brooks received a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from Oklahoma Baptist University.

Michael Kaste Named Special Agent in Charge of Kansas City Division

Director Robert S. Mueller, III today named Michael Kaste special agent in charge of the FBI’s Kansas City Division. Mr. Kaste has served as section chief of the Internal Investigations Section at FBI Headquarters (FBIHQ) since August 2010, where he was responsible for the investigative phase of the FBI’s internal disciplinary process.

Mr. Kaste began his career with the FBI in 1988. His first assignment was to the Chicago Division, where he investigated white-collar crime, organized crime, and drug-related matters. In this role, Mr. Kaste initiated a Public Aid Fraud investigation that uncovered more than $2 million in fraudulent public aid. The investigation also exposed a number of corrupt city of Chicago employees and resulted in the conviction of more than 30 subjects. In addition, Mr. Kaste served as co-case agent on a Mexican/Colombian drug investigation that resulted in the seizure of 1,200 kilograms of cocaine—one of the largest single seizures of cocaine in the state of Illinois.

In 1996, Mr. Kaste was promoted to FBIHQ, where he was assigned to the Latin American/Colombian Unit. In this role, he developed the Enterprise Theory of Investigation (ETI) training program, which was implemented throughout the FBI. This program provides FBI agents with training in sophisticated investigative techniques, to include Title III intercepts, undercover operations, and drug buys.

In 1999, Mr. Kaste was assigned to the Albany Division, where he was responsible for matters involving criminal enterprises, violent crime, and cyber security. In 2001, Mr. Kaste formed the division’s first Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). He also supervised both a Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) and an FBI Innocent Images National Initiative Task Force targeting online child predators.

In 2007, Mr. Kaste was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the St. Louis Division. In this role, he oversaw the National Security, Intelligence, and SWAT programs as well as several resident agencies. In 2009, Mr. Kaste assumed responsibility for the Criminal and Cyber Programs in St. Louis. He also served as the deputy on-scene commander in Iraq for five months between 2008 and 2009, where he worked closely with the Department of Defense.

In August 2010, Mr. Kaste was promoted to his most recent position as section chief of the Internal Investigations Section (FBIHQ).

Mr. Kaste is a 1983 graduate of Norwich University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He is also a 2006 graduate of Marist College, where he received his master’s degree in public administration. He served in the United States Army as an infantry officer for four years. Mr. Kaste and his wife Tracey have two children.

Daphne Hearn Named Special Agent in Charge of San Diego Division

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has named Daphne Hearn special agent in charge (SAC) of the FBI’s San Diego Division. Ms. Hearn most recently served as the SAC of the Administrative Division in Los Angeles.

Ms. Hearn began her career as a special agent with the FBI in December 1991. She first reported to the Buffalo Division, where she worked a variety of programs, including the initiation of an organized crime investigation into a large-scale, international illegal gambling operation with ties to La Cosa Nostra (LCN) families in several cities. In May 1998, she transferred to the Chicago Division, where she worked on the Organized Crime Task Force investigating the LCN’s long-term control over the town of Cicero, Illinois.

In late 1999, Ms. Hearn was promoted to the Organized Crime Section of the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters. While there, she managed a national LCN initiative involving 25 of the FBI’s 56 field offices. In May 2002, Ms. Hearn began a 14-month assignment as an assistant inspector with the Office of Inspections, where she led teams during inspections of FBI field divisions, Headquarters divisions, and overseas legal attaché offices.

She was promoted to the position of supervisory special agent in the Kansas City Division in August 2003, where she supervised the Special Operations Group, the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (HARCFL), and the Cyber Crime Task Force (CCTF). The HARCFL and the CCTF consisted of 25 special agents, task force officers, and support personnel from 11 agencies.

In November 2005, Ms. Hearn was selected to serve as the assistant section chief in the International Operations Division, where she successfully managed all administrative aspects of the FBI Headquarters country-specific units that provide an FBI presence around the world.

Ms. Hearn was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Investigative Services Branch at the Washington Field Office in September 2007. While there, she managed all field office mission-critical support components, including aviation, surveillance, and technical assets. In October 2008, she was named special assistant to Director Mueller. In this role, she consulted with the FBI’s executive management to assist Director Mueller in his daily operational and administrative oversight of the FBI.

In January 2010, Ms. Hearn was named SAC of the Intelligence Division in Los Angeles. Later that year, she was named SAC of the Counterintelligence/Cyber/Administrative Division, and in October 2011, when the Los Angeles divisions were realigned, she was made SAC of the new Administrative Division.

Ms. Hearn was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Kansas in 1987.

Michael Steinbach Named Special Agent in Charge of FBI Jacksonville Division

Director Robert S. Mueller, III has named Michael B. Steinbach special agent in charge of the FBI’s Jacksonville Division. Mr. Steinbach most recently served as special assistant to associate deputy director Thomas Harrington at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Steinbach began his career as a special agent at the FBI in April 1995. His first assignment was to the Chicago Division, where he worked in the fugitive and violent crimes/major offenders programs. While on duty in Chicago, Mr. Steinbach also served as the division coordinator for the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime and was a member of the SWAT team.

In 2003, Mr. Steinbach was promoted to the position of supervisor in the Counterterrorism Division at Headquarters. While in this role, he provided program management for FBI operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and in Afghanistan. In 2004, he was deployed to Afghanistan to serve as the deputy on-scene commander for FBI operations. In recognition of his actions while engaged with adversarial forces, Mr. Steinbach was awarded the FBI’s Shield of Bravery that year.

In 2005, Mr. Steinbach was promoted to assistant legal attaché for Tel Aviv, Israel, and in January 2006 he was appointed as legal attaché, Tel Aviv. In this role, Mr. Steinbach worked with the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority on all FBI investigative matters, with an emphasis on national security issues. In 2008, Mr. Steinbach and his team received the Director’s Award for Special Achievement for their efforts in Israel.

In 2008, Mr. Steinbach was selected as supervisor of the Violent Crimes Task Force at the FBI Washington Field Office and returned to the United States to fulfill this new role. In this position, he led a multi-agency task force that was responsible for responding to all violent crimes in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas.

In 2009, Mr. Steinbach was promoted to assistant section chief for the International Terrorism Operations Section, Counterterrorism Division. He later served as acting section chief, during which time he provided program management for all FBI international terrorism investigations within the United States.

In May 2010, Director Mueller designated Mr. Steinbach as deputy director for Law Enforcement Services at the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center. In October of that year, he was appointed to his most recent post.

Mr. Steinbach earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1988, after which he served as a naval aviator in the United States Navy. Mr. Steinbach is married and has four children.