[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF THOMAS V. FUENTES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2008

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
accomplishments of Thomas V. Fuentes, who is retiring after 25 years of 
service in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Throughout his career 
with the FBI he has served his country with honor and integrity.
  Mr. Fuentes began his distinguished career with the Bureau in 1979 as 
a Special Agent in the Chicago Field Office. Serving in this office for 
over 10 years, Mr. Fuentes led the fight against organized crime and 
mob corruption. As an Organized Crime Task Force supervisor, his 
efforts were instrumental in bringing countless Chicago criminals to 
justice. I had the privilege of serving with Mr. Fuentes in the Chicago 
Field Office and witnessed firsthand his tremendous skill and 
dedication.
  Mr. Fuentes was promoted to FBI Headquarters in 1990 as a supervisor 
in the Organized Crime Section. As a result of his continued success 
against organized crime targets, Mr. Fuentes was eventually appointed 
as the assistant special agent in charge of the San Francisco Field 
Office. There he established the International Cybercrime Squad and was 
selected to serve as an FBI tactical commander at the 1996 Summer 
Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
  In August 1997, Mr. Fuentes was promoted to the Senior Executive 
Service as the chief of the Organized Crime Section at FBI 
Headquarters. Among his many ground-breaking law enforcement 
initiatives, Mr. Fuentes created the Organized Crime Task Force 
consisting of FBI Agents and Hungarian National Police Officers in 
Budapest, Hungary--the first such multinational organized crime task 
force of its kind in the FBI.
  Mr. Fuentes' extraordinary career with the FBI has been marked by his 
transformational work to strengthen international law enforcement 
cooperation. In 2004, Mr. Fuentes was called upon to lead the FBI's 
Office of International Operations where he was eventually promoted to 
Assistant Director and managed more than 75 FBI offices in U.S. 
Embassies and U.S. Consulates worldwide. His skilled leadership, both 
within the Bureau and international law enforcement agencies, resulted 
in election to the Executive Committee of Interpol, where he served as 
a delegate for the Americas in 2006. To the end of his service with the 
Bureau, Mr. Fuentes continued to establish innovative international 
working groups such as the recently established FBI/Ministry of Public 
Security of the Peoples Republic of China Working Group.
  Mr. Fuentes' relentless hard work and dedication was recognized 
numerous times as evidenced by his outstanding law enforcement record 
and repeated promotions within the Bureau. His years of service brought 
fundamental change to the FBI's work on organized crime and 
international law enforcement cooperation. Throughout his career he has 
exemplified the FBI's motto of Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity by 
serving and protecting the citizens of the United States of America and 
people across the world. I am proud to know this remarkable public 
servant.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Thomas V. 
Fuentes for his model service to United States law enforcement and his 
commitment to his country. He is truly deserving of our respect and 
admiration.

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