In this episode, retired agent John Pi, MD, reviews his investigation of the RaisetheFist website, a landmark cyber intrusion investigation that tested the boundaries of digital evidence, constitutional protections, and national security law enforcement. Sherman Austin was charged and convicted of the distribution of information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction with the intent that such information be used in furtherance of a federal crime of violence.
John is currently writing a Christian memoir book, ER to FBI: A Special Agent’s Journey Through Medicine, Justice, and Faith, using his ER and FBI experience as background.
Special Agent (Retired)
John I. Pi
9/1997 – 9/2017
Dr. John Pi served in the FBI for over 20 years. During his Bureau career, he worked cyber intrusions, weapons of mass destruction, organized crime, drug trafficking, and violent crime matters.
He is also a board-certified emergency physician with over 35 years of clinical experience. As the first physician FBI Special Agent, he pioneered the development and integration of tactical medicine into FBI operations.
In 2004, FBI Director Robert Mueller presented John with the FBI Director’s Award for Special Achievement.
Operationally, he served as a member of the Los Angeles SWAT team and the medical director for the FBI Tactical Medical Program, which supported the HAZMAT team, WMD program, Bomb Tech team, Dive team, Evidence Response Team, and Rapid Deployment Team.
He was an air tactical officer for the FBI Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) Field Helicopter Program. As a certified undercover agent, he supported numerous Group I and II undercover operations, including Durascam, the largest FBI healthcare fraud undercover operation of its time.
As the first physician to serve as an FBI Special Agent, Dr. Pi broke new ground in operational medicine. He developed the Tactical Medical Program, creating protocols, training curricula, and certification programs that became models for federal and local law enforcement nationwide.
In the realm of organized crime and drug trafficking, Dr. Pi developed the 2017 interagency recommendation on “Best Practices for High-Risk Narcotic Operation Countermeasures” through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Fusion Center. This guidance addressed the lethal intersection of fentanyl exposure and tactical operations, protecting officers conducting high-risk drug enforcement. His investigative work spanned violent crimes and complex criminal enterprises.
Dr. Pi’s law enforcement contributions are codified in policy-shaping publications. His 2010 position paper on law enforcement use of carotid restraint, published in the NTOA Tactical Edge journal, established evidence-based guidelines on techniques, pathophysiology, clinical effects, and legal implications that continue to inform agency protocols nationwide. He has testified as an expert witness in federal court and developed training curricula approved by California POST for use across local, county, state, and federal agencies.
As a computer science major from the Columbia University School of Engineering and work experience at Poughkeepsie IBM in security project management, Dr. Pi served as a threat manager in the FBI Cyber Division and led investigations into national-security cyber intrusions by advanced, persistent threat actors. He pioneered approaches to cyber threat intelligence and operational response that shaped how the Bureau addresses sophisticated international digital adversaries. His work in this space included briefing a Congressional National Security subcommittee on the Darknet and the fentanyl crisis, translating complex technical and physical criminal threats into actionable intelligence for policymakers.
Dr. Pi’s expertise in weapons of mass destruction placed him at the forefront of counterterrorism operations. He was the team leader for the FBI’s elite National WMD Render Safe Team Delta of the CIRG National Asset Response Unit, the Bureau’s premier counterterrorism unit.
When critical incidents demanded immediate response, he was there: 9/11 at the World Trade Center, the Africa Embassy Bombings, Hurricane Katrina, and numerous National Security Special Events. His operational experience in WMD countermeasures and render-safe procedures made him a go-to resource for the Bureau’s most sensitive and dangerous assignments.
As executive leadership, he was the Unit Chief in the FBI Office of the Director, supervising the national-level InfraGard program with over 45,000 private and public sector members in furtherance of critical infrastructure protection.
Upon his retirement after 20 years of service in the FBI, he served as the Chief Medical Officer at DSFederal, a federal contractor serving federal government health agencies and the Department of Defense. Today, Dr. Pi serves as Professor of Emergency Medicine at George Washington University, where he instructs emergency medicine at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The following are case-related news articles, court documents, and images featuring John Pi’s work on the RaisetheFist.com investigation and his career as a physician and agent in the FBI:
Central District of California 1-30-2002 Search Warrant for Residence of Sherman Austin Central District of California 2-05-2002
Affidavit in Support of Complaint and Arrest Warrant of Sherman Austin
Los Angeles Indymedia – 8/13/2003: KAFKA PAYS A VISIT TO LOS ANGELES ACTIVIST
Los Angeles Times – 12/16/2000: Not Your Average FBI Agent
Listen to FBI Case File Review episode 093: Joseph DiZinno – FBI Laboratory, Katrinak Murder Case to learn about the FBI’s agent dentist.
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