Sean Fitzgerald serves as the Assistant Director for Cyber and Operational Technology (COT) within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the principal investigative component of the Department of Homeland Security. HSI investigates, disrupts, and dismantles transnational criminal organizations and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States. As the Assistant Director of COT, Mr. Fitzgerald manages information technology programs and initiatives that directly support HSI’s law enforcement mission, while driving significant advancements in technology to combat crime. In this role, he leads a combined workforce of over 600 employees and manages an annual budget of nearly $275 Million. He oversees the DHS Cyber Crimes Center, which leverages specialized technical resources and expertise to conduct transnational investigations into internet-related crimes. He also directs the HSI Innovation Lab, the agency’s centralized hub dedicated to developing next-generation analytics, tools, and business processes to enhance HSI operations. Additionally, Mr. Fitzgerald oversees Technical Operations, which equips the agency with cutting-edge electronic surveillance technologies, supporting criminal investigations and national security operations. This division also manages the Title-III and Linguistics Programs, law enforcement information sharing initiatives, and the delivery of critical data analysis and reporting to support HSI’s mission.

Prior to this assignment, Mr. Fitzgerald served as the Special Agent in Charge for Chicago, where he was responsible for overseeing investigative, analytical, and administrative operations throughout HSI Chicago’s area of responsibility, which included five offices and two posts of duty located throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Before that, he was the Deputy Special Agent in Charge for HSI Chicago.

Mr. Fitzgerald began his federal law enforcement career as a Special Agent in Chicago in 2002. In 2010, he transferred to the Office of International Affairs and served as an HSI Representative with the HSI Attaché Mexico City. He returned to HSI Chicago in 2012 as the Group Supervisor for the Financial Investigations Group. Following 3 years of leading the group, he transitioned to serving as an Operations Manager within HSI Domestic Operations at Headquarters. He went on to serve in other capacities within Domestic Operations, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Director and Acting Operations Chief. In 2017, Mr. Fitzgerald was promoted to Assistant Special Agent in Charge for HSI Chicago. The division he oversaw included the Chicago Narcotics Group, the Undercover Operations Group, and the Financial Investigations Group. During his tenure, he also provided leadership to the Human Trafficking Group and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Strike Force Group.

Mr. Fitzgerald, a native of Illinois, earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, in 1998.