Lisa Horner
Special Agent
New Orleans Field Office
I joined the FBI in 1995 as a certified public accountant (CPA). I have served my entire career in the New Orleans Field Office. I have investigated public corruption for the last 25 years. I have been a team leader for the Evidence Response Team for more than 20 years, the election crimes coordinator for the division for the past seven years, and I am a certified fraud examiner.
What drew you to the FBI?
I was a little girl from a small town in North Dakota who spent her allowance on walkie-talkies and convinced friends to surveil the neighborhood boys. It was fun but ironic because surveillance was never one of my strongest FBI skills. My brothers and sisters teased me that I was too small for the job; it was a pipe dream.
Fast-forward 20 years, I was a CPA working in a public accounting firm, and my husband was an attorney in our hometown. A friend sent me a job notice from a Minneapolis newspaper advertising the special agent position and encouraged me to apply. Around the same time, the local FBI agent met my husband and encouraged him to apply. I convinced my husband we should apply, so I could say I gave it a try and we could go about our lives. The job was everything I ever imagined it to be. I am grateful my friend gave me the push I needed.
Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.
I’ve worked memorable public corruption cases and met unique and colorful characters during my career, but the child abduction and murder of 11-year-old Lorin Easterling was the case I am most proud of. Early in my career, as a member of the Evidence Response Team, we processed the crime scene, and I testified at the trial. Ralph Stogner was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. After my testimony, Lorin’s grandparents stopped to thank me for everything the FBI did for their granddaughter. The pain and gratitude they shared with me that day is something I will never forget
What is the best career or life advice you have to give?
Treat people with respect. They will never forget it.
