August 31, 2025

From Deep Undercover Missions To Rescue's On The High Seas Battling Somali Pirates. FBI Special Agent / HRT Operator, And Marine, Rob D'Amico. (Part One)

1 hour 15 minutes

On today’s episode of the Cops and Writers Podcast, I have with me Rob D’Amico for this special two-part interview that will conclude next Sunday.

Rob D’Amico has over thirty-six years of federal government service—ten years in the United States Marine Corps and nearly twenty-seven with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is the founder and principal consultant at Sierra One Consulting.

Rob began a life of service when he enlisted as a US Marine during college at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and, after obtaining his bachelor's degree, was commissioned as an officer and served his first overseas tour in the first Gulf War. His work on reconnaissance missions with the Marine Corps opened the door to Rob’s long and successful career with the FBI. After four years based out of the Bureau’s Miami, Florida field office, apprehending the most violent felons of South Florida as a member of a multi-agency violent crime fugitive task force, Rob transitioned into deep undercover work against the most notorious U.S. and Italian-based organized crime families.

Rob was among the few selected for the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, in which he served as a sniper and was first deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rob’s career with and beyond the HRT team placed him at each pivotal step in the resolution of kidnapping and hostile detention matters. He has worked on every facet of operations—negotiating hostage releases and exchanges, operating under the highest pressure against pirates, negotiators, warlords, leaders of terrorist networks, as well as with ambassadors, generals, foreign ministers, and non-government organizations.

From being deep undercover, going after the mob, to dealing with Somali pirates, Rob has had a career that movies are literally made of.

Today’s episode, we do a deep dive into his beginnings and Marine career. We also dive into what goes on in the head of an FBI SWAT and HRT team member and brush on his undercover work. Next Sunday, we go deep into a hostage rescue operation on the high seas, dealing with Somali pirates!

In today’s episode, we discuss:

· Thank you, Jerri Williams, over at the FBI File Review Podcast, for the intro.

· What were Rob’s influences that led to his life of service to his country?

· Marine Recon, the best of the best. Not just FBI, but high-risk undercover operations and HRT, high-speed operators, again, the best of the best. What instilled that in him?

· What drove him to be the best of the best? What continues to drive him today?.

· How does Rob deal with rejection?

· What are the biggest misconceptions people have of the Marines and or combat?

· What steered him towards the FBI?

· When did he start doing undercover work?

· What’s most important to the mob?

· How soon into his career was he doing undercover work?

· The difference between HRT and SWAT in the FBI. Who should be doing this work? What attributes should they have?

All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.

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By Patrick O'Donnell

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