On this episode, former agent Larry Wansley, one of the FBI’s first long-term deep undercover agents, reviews the early years of the FBI’s undercover program when in 1973 he and a handful of agents, including the equally legendary Joe Pistone, began using the investigative technique forbidden by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. They were part of a behavioral sciences study to establish standards for UC Agent selection qualifications and operations.
Larry also reviews his most life-threatening assignment, which took place in rural Texas. He went undercover to prove Tom Welch, the elected Sheriff of Gregg County, Texas, was essentially a redneck southern crime boss. Welch and his deputies were charged and convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, civil rights violations, and facilitating illegal gambling.
Larry also reviews how he aided in the search for kidnapped publishing heiress Patty Hearst by infiltrating the Symbionese Liberation Army and how he once took part in a sting operation that resulted in the recovery of $42 million in stolen property.
Larry is the author of Tough Streets, Rough Skies and Sunday Sidelines. His memoir covers not only his time as an FBI agent but also his post-FBI career with the Dallas Cowboys and American Airlines.
“Gregg County was like going back in time. The sheriff and his cronies ruled with iron fists. The penalty for crossing any of them was severe, and I thought about how do I introduce myself into this culture? I am who I am. I can modify things, but I’m not a street guy. I cannot be something that I’m not, and I qualify that in the sense that, yes, my life has been about that undercover, but it’s been within the context of making sense.”
“I can come off as a businessman or just about anything else, but as a street hustler and that kind of thing, that’s not something that I would be very, very good about. I want to go with what is natural for me and make it believable, make it credible. And so that was my method, the premise that I was gonna operate with. So I hit town, and I attracted a lot of attention.”—Retired Agent Larry Wansley
Special Agent (Former)
Larry Wansley
4/1973-4/1983
Larry served in the FBI for 10 years. Prior to joining, he was a detective in the Compton Police Department in California. His first FBI office was the San Antonio Division. After a brief stint there, he went undercover in LA and accepted assignments as a long-term deep undercover agent for the balance of his bureau career. His undercover roles took him across the country. To decompress after those long, stressful years, Larry served as a counselor in the 128th NA session.
Larry left the FBI to accept a groundbreaking role in establishing player counseling and team security for the Dallas Cowboys. During a leave from the Cowboys, he also served as Security Director for Whitney Houston’s World Tour. He later became the head of global security for American Airlines, where he coordinated American Airlines’ operational responses to the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks. He and his team earned the FBI Director’s Award for assisting in the identification of all 9/11 hijackers.
Larry is an international consultant and speaker. For further information, visit his website LarryWansley.com.
The following are articles about the investigation and conviction of Gregg County Sheriff Tom Welch:
U.S. Courts of Appeals (5th Cir. 1979) – United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Tom Welch
KLTV – Apr. 26, 2013: Former East Texas Sheriff found dead in his home
To learn more, listen to these FBI Case File Review episodes about the FBI’s undercover program.
Listen to these FBI Case File Review episode to hear more case reviews featuring police corruption.
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