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Michael R. McGowan

Retired FBI Special Agent & Author

Michael R. McGowan
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Torrance, CA, USA
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Authors, Civil Rights, Government, Law, Social Activism, Social Justice, Social Sciences
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Michael R. McGowan Biography

FBI Special Agent Michael R. McGowan (Retired) is the co – author, along with New York Times bestseller author Ralph Pezzullo, of the upcoming fascinating memoir tilted Ghost – My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent, recapping his more than 30 years of dedicated service within the FBI, the majority of which was spent working undercover against some of the most dangerous, sophisticated, and notorious criminal organizations and individuals throughout the world, having participated in excess of 50 FBI Undercover Operations. Ghost is scheduled for publication release in the Fall of 2018 by a major New York publisher and has been optioned for TV/Film development by a major LA motion picture studio and is ongoing.

For over 30 years, Special Agent McGowan successfully infiltrated the Italian LCN (La Cosa Nostra/”The Mob”) and Russian Organized Crime groups, Mexican drug cartels, Outlaw motorcycle gangs, contract murderers, and corrupt politicians, all resulting in significant arrests, seizures, and lengthy incarcerations. He has been recognized at the highest levels of the FBI and Department of Justice for his FBI UCO assignments, both domestically and internationally.

In the FBI’s-109 year history, Special Agent McGowan is the only FBI Agent with the following unique experiences: Successfully infiltrating three separate Mafia families – the Merlino/Luisi Philadelphia/Boston Family (1998-99); the Rhode Island faction of the Patriarca Family (2000-2005); and the Boston faction of the New England LCN (2008), resulting in the indictment and incarceration of one Boss, one UnderBoss, two capos, a national Union President, union officials, and dozens of LCN associates and soldiers. No other FBI Agent has infiltrated more than one LCN Family. Successfully infiltrating the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel and indicting the notorious head of the world’s most powerful Drug cartel organization and the most wanted fugitive in the world, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, and his Executive Management board - the only successful US law enforcement undercover penetration of the Sinaloa Cartel. Seized more than $15 million dollars of Cartel drugs without the expenditure of any FBI drug buy funds (2009-2012).

Successfully infiltrating two Pakistani heroin trafficking organizations on separate occasions resulting in the indictment and incarceration of a top five international drug baron and the seizure of over 100 kilograms of almost pure heroin, valued at $400 million dollars, again without the expenditure of any FBI drug buy funds. The combined seizures are ranked as two of the top, if not top, heroin seizures ever within the United States (1992-1994) and (1995-1996).

Falsely accused and investigated by the FBI of stealing $180 million dollars of drugs from a secured FBI evidence vault. Was interrogated with Miranda Warnings more than 20 times, had major case fingerprints taken in front of co-workers, and had his reputation and integrity temporarily destroyed by the false allegation. Later assisted in identifying the correct suspect. (1994).

In addition to the above FBI undercover assignments, Special Agent McGowan was also intimately involved in the 2001 “PENTBOM” 9/11 Boston investigation, and the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings investigation. Special Agent McGowan also served as an FBI SWAT Team member for more than 10 years, and prior to joining the FBI, served as a Police Detective/Police Officer for several years, and received commendations for his arrests on homicide, sexual assault, armed robbery, and other violent felony offenses.

In his post-FBI career after retiring in 2017, Special Agent McGowan continues to provide training and mentoring to new law enforcement undercover agents, and now also provides consultant and technical advising services to the entertainment industry. Special Agent McGowan currently serves as the law enforcement consultant/technical advisor on the set of Equalizer 2, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal.

He is also at work on his second novel, a fictional FBI thriller series led by an unconventional, less-than-perfect but relentless FBI Agent battling not only the bad guys in the street but the internal and risk-averse forces within FBI management sitting inside safely behind their pristine desks. Special Agent McGowan lives in New England with his family and now fifth child, a 5-year-old badly behaved English Crème Golden Retriever.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/30/2024.

Michael R. McGowan Speaking Topics

  • Falsely Accused

    What do you do when all that you know and hold dear is jeopardized due to a false accusation from your own government? In this talk, Michael McGowan shares his surreal and harrowing ordeal and his road back to redemption.

  • The Life of an FBI Undercover Agent

    One minute you’re going undercover as a mobster, drug trafficker, contract killer or international crime boss. Just a short drive home later, you’re a typical parent: coaching sports, doing yard chores and training puppies, with no one (not even your spouse) suspecting how you’ve really spent your day. As one of the FBI’s most senior, experienced, and accomplished Undercover Agents, McGowan’s work put him in the darkest and most dangerous situations one can imagine. Not exactly your typical “day at the office.” Keeping the nature of your real work a secret from your spouse and family and having to be away for months at a time can take its toll on any relationship, but McGowan was committed to both, as stressful as it was. McGowan gives audiences insight into what it’s like to truly live a double life, a “True Lies” movie scenario that, in McGowan’s case, was all too real.

  • Good vs. Evil: The Ultimate Chess Match

    Infiltrating the world of the most evil, dangerous and cunning men on earth takes skill and knowledge beyond what many of us can imagine. It means learning to think, act, dress, talk and manipulate like them. It’s remembering that bad guys have no rules to follow, while the good guys have legal and Constitutional requirements to consider. It’s trying to convince real bad guys, murderers and killers in some cases, that someone who has spent his whole life on the straight and narrow to become an FBI agent, is as bad (or even worse) than they are. The danger of being exposed while on an covert FBI mission was all too real, a daily walk on a tightrope without a safety net with potential life-or-death consequences. In this talk McGowan shares some of the most intricate moves of this real life chess match between good and evil, where losing is not an option.

  • FBI: The Real Story Behind the Headlines

    From infiltrating three separate Mafia Families over 10 years, to pursuing infamous drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman into the depths of Mexico’s drug cartels, to investigating the Boston Marathon bombings, Michael McGowan has been on the front lines of some of the most notorious cases in the headlines. As an undercover FBI agent successfully infiltrating criminals from Italian and Russian organized crime groups to outlaw motorcycle gangs and contract hit men and corrupt public officials, McGowan has been recognized at the highest levels of the FBI and the Department of Justice both domestically and internationally. He also used his invaluable experience to lead and help train the next generation of FBI Undercover Agents, serving as an instructor at the FBI Undercover Certification School in Quantico, Virginia and providing instruction at the FBI’s academy in Budapest, Hungary. In this talk, McGowan shares his unique firsthand perspective of how these and other cases went down as well as the strategy and skills used to bring these criminals to justice.

Michael R. McGowan Books

  • Ghost: My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent
    Ghost: My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent

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  • What topics does Michael R. McGowan speak about?

    Michael R. McGowan is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Civil Rights, Government, Law, Social Activism, Social Justice, Social Sciences.

  • Where does Michael R. McGowan travel from?

    Michael R. McGowan generally travels from Torrance, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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Michael R. McGowan is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Falsely Accused, The Life of an FBI Undercover Agent, Good vs. Evil: The Ultimate Chess Match and FBI: The Real Story Behind the Headlines. The estimated speaking fee range to book Michael R. McGowan for your event is available upon request. Michael R. McGowan generally travels from Torrance, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Alex S. Vitale, Daniel Markovits, Andrew Leon Hanna, Nkechi Taifa and Allison Mahoney. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Michael R. McGowan for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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