John Bivona

Mr. Bivona was born in Brooklyn, NY. He received a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Business Administration in International Business from Pace University, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing and Management from Fordham University and graduated the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College. He retired from the FBI in September 2022 after twenty-six years of service. Prior to working for the FBI, Mr. Bivona was an Officer in the United States Army. He retired from the United States Army Reserve in December 2019 at the rank of Colonel. He is currently serving as a security and investigations consultant collaborating with private and government clients guiding both domestic and international security and investigative operations.

            Mr. Bivona joined the FBI in 1996. From 1996 through 2016, Mr. Bivona was assigned to the FBI New York Division, where he worked narcotics, counterterrorism, and transnational organized crime Investigations. Mr. Bivona conducted various deployments in support of FBI operations. These include serving as one of the founding members of the Joint FBI and Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation (HNBI) Organized Crime Task Force in Budapest, Hungary; serving on a Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) sponsored by the U.S. Army in Mosul, Iraq; and serving as the FBI’s temporary liaison to Albania. In 2010, he became the leader of a transnational organized crime task force. One notable achievement during his tenure supervising the task force was the indictment and simultaneous arrests of six leaders of a cyber organized crime enterprise located in four countries thereby dismantling this syndicate and saving corporations and victims millions of dollars. As a result, the task force was recognized by the New York Federal Executive Board. From February 2016 to March 2019 Mr. Bivona was the Legal Attaché (LEGAT) in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) promoting the FBI’s efforts in BiH, Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. A prominent achievement during his term in Sarajevo was the location, apprehension, and extradition of a wanted terrorist resulting in a highly successful collaborative follow-on investigation. From April 2019 to June 2022, Mr. Bivona served as the LEGAT in Riga, Latvia promoting the FBI’s efforts in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia with a focus on financial and counter-intelligence investigations. During this period, Mr. Bivona was a leader harmonizing U.S. and allied efforts targeting Eastern European criminal organizations and their support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Bivona has received numerous recognitions for his service and performance. His military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster and awards from the governments of Iraq and Kuwait. As an FBI Agent, SSA Bivona has received commendations from the FBI, DEA, The Federal Executive Board, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) as well as the governments of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. 

Mr. Bivona has extensive experience collaborating with various international entities, both public and private, including financial intelligence units, intelligence services and law enforcement agencies. This deep understanding of the global landscape allows him to offer students strategic insights and guidance when dealing with cross-border investigations and operations.