Who is Louis J. Freeh? Everything You Need to Know

Born on January 6, 1950, in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, Louis Freeh is the son of Bernice (née Chinchiolo) and William Freeh, Sr. His mother worked as a bookkeeper, while his father was a real estate broker. In 1967, he obtained a high-school diploma from St. Joseph's High School in West New York, New Jersey.

In 1971, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University–New Brunswick. He then went on to get his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law–Newark in 1974 and Master of Laws degree in criminal law from New York University School of Law in 1984.

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Early Career

Louis Freeh began his tenure at the FBI in 1975 and served as a Special Agent until 1981 in the New York City field office and at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

In 1981, he became an Assistant US Attorney at the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. In the next few years, he also worked there as the Chief of the Organized Crime Unit, Deputy US Attorney, and Associate US Attorney. Furthermore, Freeh was appointed as a first lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve.

Between September 1985 and March 1987, he served as the lead prosecutor in the Pizza Connection Trial, which revolved around the prosecution of Sicilian organized crime members who ran a drug trafficking operation in US using pizza parlours as fronts. Following a 14-month-long trial, 16 of the 17 co-defendants were found guilty.

Freeh worked with Howard Shapiro as Special Prosecutor in the murder trial of Walter Leroy Moody, Jr., who allegedly used pipe bombs to assassinate federal judge Robert Smith Vance in Birmingham, Alabama, and attorney Robert Robinson in Savannah, Georgia.

In 1991, Moody was given seven federal life sentences and an additional 400 years. In 1996, he was put on a trial by the state for the murders. The state of Alabama executed him in 2018.

On May 30, 1991, Freeh became a US District Judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. His tenure lasted for about two years, until August 31, 1993, when he submitted his resignation.

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FBI Director

From 1993 to 2001, Freeh served as the fifth Director of FBI. He began his tenure under the US President Bill Clinton.

Several high-profile incidents and internal investigations occurred during his service, including the Ruby Ridge incident, Waco Siege, Khobar Towers Bombing, TWA Flight 800 tragedy, Centennial Olympic Park bombing, Montana Freeman standoff, arrest of the "Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski, arrest of the Soviet Union and Russian spy Robert Hanssen, Wen Ho Lee incident, and the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy.

While he was heading the FBI, the organization also dealt with the death of White House counsel Vince Foster in 1993, allegations of incompetence at the FBI crime laboratory, investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and the capture and prosecution of Timothy McVeigh.

Freeh also received a significant amount of criticism. For the Carnivore communications-monitoring system, the alleged Waco cover-up, and insubordination to Attorney General Reno, the editorial staff of ‘Business Week’ demanded his resignation in 2000.

Freeh quit the FBI in June 2001, amid the demand for stronger leadership for the agency. Following his resignation, he was dubbed “a model law enforcement officer” by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Later Years

In September 2001, Freeh was made a member of the board of directors at credit card issuer MBNA. He has also worked for Iranian-American philanthropist Nasser Kazeminy and Pennsylvania State University. He runs the global risk management firm, Freeh Group International Solutions, LLC.

Family & Personal Life

A Roman Catholic, Louis Freeh is deeply religious. Contrary to popular belief, he does not have a membership of the Opus Dei prelature.

He is married. He and his wife, Marilyn, have six sons together. On October 23, 2009, he received Italian citizenship.

In the early afternoon of August 25, 2014, Freeh was driving south on Vermont 12 in his 2010 GMC Yukon, when his car got off the east side of the road. According to the police, the car hit a mailbox at 2762 Vermont 12, Barnard, Vermont, and a row of shrubs, before coming to a stop against a tree. Freeh admitted to the police that he had fallen asleep at the wheel.

Louis J. Freeh Biography