Jerri Williams – Short Bio:
Jerri Williams has always been a storyteller and, after serving 26 years as a special agent in the FBI, she has plenty of stories to tell. During most of her Bureau career, she worked major economic fraud investigations and is amazed at the schemes and deceptions con-artist and corrupt corporate and public officials devise to steal other people’s money. She notes that with a gun, they can steal hundreds. But with a lie, they can steal millions.
She is using her prior professional experiences with scams and schemers to write crime fiction about greed and often jokes that she is reliving her glory days by producing and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime podcast with 10 million downloads and over 300 episodes where she interviews retired FBI agents about their high-profile cases and careers. Based on her experience as an FBI spokesperson, she also debunks misconceptions about the FBI and is under contract as a technical consultant for major TV networks and production companies wanting to create authentic FBI dramas and characters.
In FBI Myths and Misconceptions: A Manual for Armchair Detectives, she presents the top 20 clichés about the FBI in books, TV, and movies. Each cliché has its own chapter, where she provides a reality check while breaking down the facts. The entertaining companion book with advanced FBI themes, FBI Word Search Puzzles: Fun for Armchair Detectives is also available. Her crime novels—Pay to Play and Greedy Givers—feature flawed female FBI agent Kari Wheeler, a married mother of three investigating fraud and corruption in Philadelphia while struggling to balance her family responsibilities. The books are available wherever books are sold, as ebooks, print books, and audiobooks.
On November 18, 2021, in Washington, DC, the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) recognized Jerri as their G-Man Honors – Distinguished Service Honoree for her continued support of the FBI Family through her podcast and books.
Long Bio:
Jerri Williams served 26 years as a Special Agent with the FBI. During most of her Bureau career, she worked major economic fraud investigations and is amazed at the schemes and deceptions con-artist and corrupt corporate and public officials devise to steal other people’s money. She notes that with a gun, they can steal hundreds. But with a lie, they can steal millions. Jerri often jokes that she is reliving her glory days by writing about the FBI. Her prior professional encounters with scams and schemers will provide plot lines for many years.
During her FBI career, Jerri specialized in cases targeting major economic crime and corruption. Her investigation of a $350 million Ponzi scheme perpetrated against unsuspecting nonprofit organizations, high profiled philanthropists and beneficiary donors resulted in a 12-year prison sentence and multiple forfeitures; the international advance fee scam case she conducted resulted in a 14 year prison sentence and the forfeiture of the subject’s residence; and her major investigation of business-to-business telemarketing fraud, which included a long-term undercover operation, resulted in 16 search warrants, 25 convictions, and many multi-year prison terms. Jerri received numerous awards throughout her career, including four United States Attorney Awards for Distinguished Service, three of them for her work on the cases noted. Being interviewed and appearing on CNBC’s American Greed in the episode—When Greed and Giving Collide—was a highlight of Jerri’s career.
Toward the end of her federal law enforcement career, Jerri was appointed as the spokesperson for the Philadelphia Division of the FBI, taking on the responsibility of educating and informing the media and public about the Bureau. Post-FBI retirement, Jerri served as the spokesperson and Director of Media Relations for SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transportation provider. Both positions often placed her in the spotlight in front of local and national news media.
Jerri is currently using her federal law enforcement experience and communication and media experience to host and produce a popular true crime and history podcast—FBI Retired Case File Review—where she interviews retired FBI agents about their high-profile cases and careers, while correcting clichés and misconceptions about the FBI in books, TV, and movies. With 10 million downloads and over 300 episodes, the podcast can be accessed on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and other popular podcast apps.
She is on a mission to show the public who the FBI is and what the FBI does. The proudest moment of her post-FBI creative career was being recognized by the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), an organization representing active and retired FBI agents, as their G-Man Honors – Distinguished Service Honoree for her continued support of the FBI Family through sharing FBI stories. This was the first time in the association’s 40-year history that the award was given to an FBI agent.
In her book, FBI Myths and Misconceptions: A Manual for Armchair Detectives, she presents her top 20 clichés about the FBI. Each cliché has its own chapter, where she provides a reality check while breaking down the facts. Throughout the book, she includes quotes from retired agents about how the FBI actually works and reviews popular films and fiction featuring FBI agent characters. The entertaining companion book, FBI Word Search Puzzles: Fun for Armchair Detectives, is also available. Based on the success of her FBI non-fiction, Jerri is under contract as a technical consultant for major TV networks and production companies wanting to create authentic FBI dramas and characters. Her crime novels—Pay to Play and Greedy Givers—feature flawed female FBI agent Kari Wheeler, a married mother of three investigating fraud and corruption in Philadelphia while struggling to balance her family responsibilities. The books are available wherever books are sold, as ebooks, print books, and audiobooks.
Jerri has posted case reviews about her own FBI investigations on FBI Retired Case File Review. You can learn more about her career and her author and podcasting journey by listening to the following episodes:
Episode 122: Jerri Williams – New Era Ponzi Scheme, Greedy Givers
Episode 044: Karl LNU – Cooperating Witness, Telemarketing Fraud
Episode 244: Jerri Williams – Loan Shark, Check Cashing Extortion Case
Episode 182: Jerri Williams – My Media Empire, A Look Behind the Curtain
You can learn more about Jerri Williams, her books, her podcast, and blog at www.jerriwilliams.com.
Retired Agent Jerri Williams has no current affiliation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
