Louis Freeh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Louis Freeh
5th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
In office September 1, 1993 – June 25, 2001
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Deputy	David G. Binney Larry A. Potts Weldon L. Kennedy William Esposito Thomas J. Pickard
Preceded by	William S. Sessions
Succeeded by	Thomas J. Pickard (acting) Robert Mueller
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
In office May 30, 1991 – August 31, 1993
Appointed by	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Richard J. Daronco
Succeeded by	Shira Scheindlin
Personal details
Born	Louis Joseph Freeh (1950-01-06) January 6, 1950 (age 75) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Marilyn Coyle ​ (m. 1983)​
Children	6
Education	Rutgers University, New Brunswick (BA) Rutgers University, Newark (JD) New York University (LLM)

Louis Joseph Freeh, born on January 6, 1950, is an American lawyer and former judge. He is best known for being the fifth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He led the FBI from September 1993 to June 2001.

Freeh started his career as a special agent for the FBI. He later became a prosecutor and a federal judge. President Bill Clinton chose him to be the FBI Director. Today, he works as a lawyer and advisor in the private sector.

Early Life and Career

Louis Freeh was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. His parents were Bernice and William Freeh Sr. He grew up in North Bergen, New Jersey.

He went to Saint Joseph of the Palisades High School. After high school, he studied at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. He then got his law degree from Rutgers School of Law–Newark in 1974. In 1984, he earned another law degree from New York University School of Law.

From 1975 to 1981, Freeh worked as an FBI Special Agent in New York City and Washington, D.C. In 1981, he joined the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. There, he worked on cases involving organized crime. He was also a first lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve.

As a young person, Freeh became an Eagle Scout in 1963. This is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts. In 1995, he received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. This award honors Eagle Scouts who have achieved great success in their careers.

The "Pizza Connection" Case

One important case Freeh worked on was the "Pizza Connection" investigation. He was the main prosecutor for this case. It was a very complex criminal investigation for the U.S. government at the time. After a long trial, many people involved were found guilty.

The Walter Moody Trial

Freeh also worked on the murder trial of Walter Moody. Moody was accused of sending mail bombs. One bomb killed federal judge Robert Smith Vance. Another bomb killed attorney Robert E. Robinson. Freeh was appointed as a special prosecutor for this case.

In 1991, Moody was sentenced to several life terms in prison.

Federal Judicial Service

President George H. W. Bush nominated Louis Freeh to be a judge. This was for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The United States Senate approved his nomination in May 1991. He served as a judge until August 1993. He then resigned to become the Director of the FBI.

Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1993–2001)

During Louis Freeh's time as FBI Director, the agency handled many important cases. The FBI also faced some challenges and criticism.

Protecting Civil Liberties

Louis Freeh, along with other officials, was part of a court case called Zieper v. Metzinger. This case was about how the FBI investigated a fictional film in 1999. The film was about a military takeover of Times Square. The American Civil Liberties Union helped the people who sued. They felt the FBI's actions affected people's civil liberties, which are basic rights and freedoms.

In May 2000, Freeh agreed to release FBI files. These files were about political activists in Puerto Rico. Nearly 100,000 pages of documents were released.

Freeh also spoke about the challenge of encryption. Encryption makes messages secret and hard to read. He said that widespread use of strong encryption could make it harder for law enforcement to track criminals and terrorists. He felt it could make the country less safe.

The Ruby Ridge Incident

An investigation was ongoing when Freeh became director. This was about an incident in August 1992 at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. During this event, an FBI sharpshooter killed the wife of Randy Weaver. Freeh later said that if he had been director then, he would not have used the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team. An FBI sniper was later charged, but the charges were dropped. Freeh was disappointed by these charges.

The Waco Standoff

Another investigation was happening during Freeh's time. This was about events from April 1993 at a compound in Waco, Texas. This event happened before Freeh became Director. There were disagreements between Freeh and Janet Reno, who was the Attorney General. The Attorney General is the head of the U.S. Justice Department. Freeh tried to stay neutral during the investigations.

Khobar Towers Bombing Investigation

On June 25, 1996, a terrorist group set off a truck bomb. This happened outside a building at the King Abdul Aziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia. The building housed members of the U.S. Air Force. Many U.S. military personnel were killed or injured in this attack.

Louis Freeh wrote in his book, My FBI, that this investigation was very important to him. On his last day in office, a federal grand jury charged 14 people with the attack. Freeh believed that political reasons had slowed down the investigation.

TWA Flight 800 Crash

On July 17, 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the ocean. All 230 people on board died. The FBI started an investigation the next day. This was done even though the National Transportation Safety Board usually leads such investigations.

FBI chemists found traces of an explosive material. However, in November 1997, the FBI concluded that no criminal act caused the crash. Later, the NTSB said the crash was likely caused by an explosion in the plane's fuel tank.

Centennial Olympic Park Bombing

Freeh testified about the bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics. This happened at Centennial Olympic Park. He spoke about how the name of Richard Jewell was leaked to the media. Jewell had been wrongly accused of the bombing. Freeh said he did not know how Jewell's name was leaked.

Montana Freemen Standoff

In March 1996, the FBI handled an 81-day standoff. This was between law enforcement and a group called the Montana Freemen. Freeh and the FBI were praised for ending the standoff peacefully.

The Unabomber's Capture

Theodore Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber," was caught in 1996. This happened after his writings were published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Freeh and Attorney General Reno agreed to publish his writings. A tip from Kaczynski's brother helped the FBI capture him.

The Robert Hanssen Spy Case

In 2001, Robert Hanssen was arrested. He was an FBI agent for 25 years. He was charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia. Freeh called this security breach "very serious." He set up a group to review the damage caused by Hanssen's spying.

The Wen Ho Lee Case

In 1999, scientist Wen Ho Lee was fired from his job. He was arrested and held for 278 days. This was while his handling of nuclear information was investigated. Freeh accused him of downloading secret nuclear information.

Lee later pleaded guilty to one charge and was released. The judge in the case apologized to Lee. The judge said Lee was "terribly wronged" and that government officials had "embarrassed this entire nation." A Justice Department report said Freeh was not fully informed about the investigation. It also said the FBI "bungled" the case.

Other Important Cases

The FBI also handled other major cases during Freeh's time. These included the investigation into the death of White House counsel Vince Foster. They also investigated the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. This led to the capture and prosecution of Timothy McVeigh.

Criticism and Resignation

Louis Freeh faced some criticism during his time as FBI Director. Some people called for his resignation in 2000. They pointed to issues like the FBI's communications-monitoring system and allegations of problems with investigations.

In June 2001, Freeh resigned. This came amid criticism that the FBI needed stronger leadership. Especially after the Robert Hanssen spy case. Upon his resignation, Attorney General John Ashcroft praised him. Freeh was replaced by Thomas J. Pickard as acting Director. Later, Robert Mueller became the new Director.

Post-FBI Career

Freeh speaks at the farewell ceremony of outgoing Director Robert Mueller in 2013

Former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh at a press conference in the Estonian Ministry of Finance, Tallinn, 3 July 2020.

After leaving the FBI, Louis Freeh continued to work in law and consulting. He offered to serve as New Jersey's anti-terrorism advisor without pay. However, the new governor chose someone else.

He joined the board of directors for several companies. These included a credit card company and a pharmaceutical company. He also became part of the Gavel Consulting Group. This group gives advice to private businesses.

In 2004, Freeh began teaching law at Widener University School of Law. He teaches about "White Collar Crime," which involves non-violent financial crimes.

In 2007, Freeh started his own consulting firm, Freeh Group International Solutions. This firm helps with investigations and offers advice.

The Jerry Sandusky Investigation

In 2011, Louis Freeh was hired to investigate a serious case at Penn State University. This involved former football coach Jerry Sandusky. Freeh's team included former FBI agents and prosecutors.

The report was released in July 2012. It was very critical of the university's leaders. It said they did not act properly regarding the accusations. Many sources have questioned parts of Freeh's report. Some felt it lacked strong evidence.

The Freeh Report had major effects on Penn State's football program. The NCAA used the report to punish the team. They imposed a large fine and banned the team from postseason games for four years. They also took away many of the team's past victories.

However, a later report by former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh disagreed with Freeh's findings. It said Freeh's report was "seriously flawed." In 2014, emails showed contact between NCAA officials and Freeh's investigators. This suggested that the conclusions might have been influenced. As a result, the NCAA reversed some of its decisions. They gave back the team's victories.

Lobbying Work

Louis Freeh has also worked as a lobbyist. In 2018, he hired lawyer Rudy Giuliani to help his clients in Romania. In 2019, Freeh and Alan Dershowitz lobbied the U.S. government. They worked on behalf of an Israeli billionaire facing sanctions.

Other Roles

In November 2011, Freeh was named trustee for the MF Global bankruptcy case. This was a very large bankruptcy on Wall Street. In 2013, he became the Chair of the law firm Pepper Hamilton LLP. He resigned from this role in 2014.

Books and Editorials

In 2005, Freeh wrote a book called My FBI. It was about his career at the FBI. The book was critical of President Clinton and a former counter-terrorism advisor. He also wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal about the 9/11 Commission.

Personal Life

Louis Freeh married Marilyn Coyle in 1983. They have six children. Freeh is a devoted Roman Catholic. Some of his sons attended Catholic schools.

He became an Italian citizen on October 23, 2009.

Car Accident

In August 2014, Freeh was in a car accident in Vermont. He told police he fell asleep while driving. He was taken to the hospital for his injuries.

See also

• Project Megiddo