February 9, 2015

Richard M. Frankel Named Special Agent in Charge of Newark Division

Director James B. Comey has named Richard Frankel special agent in charge (SAC) of the FBI’s Newark Division. Mr. Frankel most recently served as SAC of the Criminal Division in the New York Field Office.

Mr. Frankel began his career as a special agent in the New York Field Office in 1995 and was assigned to the Gambino Family Organized Crime Squad. He has served in numerous positions in New York throughout his career, to include assistant special agent in charge, SAC of the Counterterrorism Division, and Associate Division Counsel. He oversaw the investigation of a plot to bomb two synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down a military plane near Stewart Air Force Base; the plot to explode a bomb in the New York City Subway system; and the attempt to explode a vehicle-borne bomb in Times Square. He supervised threat response squads in New York City and at JFK Airport.

In 2011, he was named associate director of national intelligence in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Mr. Frankel served in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters as a team leader, and in this role he was involved in investigating shooting incidents and field office inspections. Mr. Frankel was appointed acting SAC of the Buffalo Division in 2013.

Throughout his career, Mr. Frankel has served as the FBI’s deputy on-scene commander in Afghanistan and led a team who supported U.S. Special Forces components. He was also the on-scene commander for FBI personnel that investigated the bombing of the Rugby Club in Uganda during the World Cup, and he led the team that arrested the surviving pirate involved in the Maersk Alabama incident off the coast of Somalia and investigated the terror attack on the Westgate Mall in Kenya.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Frankel was an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, New York, and prosecuted criminal matters on behalf of the county and state.