Michael Clarke is a Senior Advisor on Counter-terrorism & Organized Crime. He is a thirty-one-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a former police officer. He has wide-ranging experience in counterterrorism, organized crime, criminal and cyber investigations, violent crimes, white-collar crimes, tactical and special operations, police procedures, and undercover investigations. Throughout his career, Michael has conducted dozens of international multi-faceted criminal investigations with sensitive circumstances, including financial investigations. He has also expertly testified in countless judicial proceedings.

Michael began his FBI career as a Special Agent in August 1988. He served in the Atlanta Field Office focusing on organized crime and public corruption. Additionally, he was the primary undercover agent on numerous long-term FBI investigations. During this time, Michael was an Operator and Assistant Team Leader for FBI Atlanta Division’s SWAT Team for over ten years.

In May 2001, he was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent and transferred to the San Juan Division, where he was responsible for two FBI Resident Agencies. Michael was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan on various FBI initiatives, including counterterrorism operations and the training of international police personnel. He completed additional overseas assignments in Haiti, Pakistan, Russia, and Jordan.

In 2005, FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III selected Michael to open the FBI Legal Attaché Office in Sofia, Bulgaria, with territorial responsibilities for Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. As Head of Office (Legat), he supervised and/or initiated hundreds of foreign police cooperation matters and operational leads in all FBI priority programs throughout the Balkans.

In 2008, Michael returned from overseas duty, reporting to the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division in Washington, DC. He was promoted to Senior FBI Liaison Officer to the Joint Interagency Task Force South, United States Southern Command, focusing on Department of Defense support to Interagency operations in South and Central America.

In 2012, Michael was selected as the lead FBI Case Agent investigating the September 2012 attacks on the US Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including the US Ambassador. For over seven years, he led a massive investigation resulting in the dismantlement of the Benghazi Attack Network and the successful capture and prosecution of subjects responsible for the attacks. Michael was awarded the 2018 Attorney General’s Award and the 2020 FBI Director’s Award for his leadership in this investigation.

Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Criminal Justice. He is an FAA Commercial rated single/multi-engine pilot.