Appointment of Timothy D. Bereznay as Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division

Washington, D.C. – FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III today announced the appointment of Timothy D. Bereznay as Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The Counterintelligence Division provides centralized management and oversight for all Counterintelligence (CI) investigations conducted by the FBI. The Counterintelligence Division also ensures that all CI operations and investigations are fully coordinated with the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the U.S. Intelligence Community, and focused on those countries, foreign powers, or entities that pose the most significant threats to the United States. The Counterintelligence Division, along with the Counterterrorism Division and the FBI Directorate of Intelligence, are part of the FBI’s National Security Branch.

Director Mueller said, “Although the impact of terrorism is more immediate and highly visible, espionage and foreign intelligence activity are no less a threat to our national security.  Many countries consider the U.S. to be their primary intelligence target. With America’s economic strength and technological edge, we will continue to be targeted. Tim Bereznay has over 23 years of experience in espionage and counterintelligence investigations. This unique and valuable experience makes him highly qualified to lead the FBI‘s efforts to identify and neutralize national security threats. “

Mr. Bereznay currently serves as the Acting Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division. In May 2002, Mr. Bereznay was appointed as Deputy Assistant Director for Operations in the Counterintelligence Division. Mr. Bereznay's previous position was Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Washington Field Office.

Mr. Bereznay has over 30 years of service in the FBI. He entered on duty with the FBI in February 1976 as a support employee in the Baltimore Field Office. He was assigned to the Baltimore office until he became a Special Agent in March 1981. His first office as an Agent was Kansas City where he was assigned to a white collar crime squad. He transferred to New York in September 1983, and began working CI. In August 1987, he was promoted to a CI Field Supervisor in the New York Office. He transferred to FBI Headquarters in July 1991, and served as a Supervisor and Unit Chief. In August 1996, he became the CI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office. During this time he supervised several significant espionage cases to include the Earl Pitts, James Nicholson, David Boone and Teresa Squillacote cases. He was then promoted to Chief of the Eurasian Section in March 1999, where he was responsible for management of the FBI's investigation into the "Russian Bug" in the State Department and the espionage investigation of Robert P. Hanssen. He was promoted to SAC, Counterintelligence/ Counterterrorism, Washington Field Office, in September 2001, where he served until he was promoted to his current position as Deputy Assistant Director, arriving in June 2002.

Mr. Bereznay was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He received a B.A. degree in Accounting from Loyola College in 1981. He is currently married to an employee in the Baltimore field office and has two children.