Category: MIL-OSI

Baltimore, Maryland – Freddie Anthony Curry, 54, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty in federal court to possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine. 

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the plea with Special Agent in Charge William DelBagno, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Washington Division; and Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) – Washington Division.

In May 2024, the FBI and DEA began investigating Curry in connection with suspected fentanyl and cocaine trafficking in the Baltimore area.  During their investigation, they verified Curry’s vehicle and residence. Authorities then executed federal search warrants on Curry’s residence and vehicle. During the search, investigators recovered approximately 980 grams of fentanyl, 1,040 grams of cocaine, digital scales, drug-packaging materials, and a Glock 19 9-millimeter handgun. Curry is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions.

The parties have agreed that if the Court accepts the plea agreement, Curry will be sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. Sentencing is set for Monday, June 30, 2025, at 2 p.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case is part of a Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations. The specific mission of the Baltimore Strike Force is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle violent drug trafficking, money laundering, and transnational criminal organizations to reduce drug-related and/or gang violence in the Baltimore metropolitan and surrounding areas.  The Baltimore Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, the Maryland State Police, the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore Sheriff’s Office, the Baltimore County Police Department, the Maryland Transportation Authority, and the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI, DEA, and USPIS for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Simpkins who is prosecuting the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md  and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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I began my career in 2004 as an FBI agent working counterintelligence matters in Washington, D.C. I later transferred to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I was assigned to investigate violent crimes, among other violations. Currently, I am a polygraph examiner for the Charlotte Division.

Along the way, I have had many auxiliary duties, including digital extraction trained agent, crimes against children coordinator, crisis negotiation coordinator, child forensic interviewer, online covert employee, and airport/seaport liaison agent coordinator.

What does it mean to make room at the table? Why does it matter?

Making room at the table means listening to and hearing the voices of all those around us. My profession requires engaging with other agents, supervisors, and professional staff; law enforcement partners; victims; subjects; and the community. I listen the same way—regardless of a person’s age, socioeconomic status, gender, orientation, race, or creed. I am a public servant entrusted to uphold the Constitution and protect our citizens’ rights by enforcing the law. 

We, as special agents, cannot effectively do our jobs without eliciting information from others. If we only engage in meaningful conversations with certain people from certain backgrounds, we will never gain a complete and accurate picture of an issue and therefore can’t fully serve the people of this country. All of us need to carry this belief into our professional and personal lives. Fairness and freedom are only possible if all voices are heard. We have to make room for everyone at the table.

I joined the FBI in 2000 as a special agent in the San Francisco Field Office, where I investigated narcotics, violent crime, and human intelligence matters. I then transferred to the FBI office in Sacramento in 2011. Among my other duties, I have served as the bank robbery coordinator for the Sacramento Division since 2013, as a primary relief supervisor, a recruiting assessor, and as the FBI Agents Association representative.

What is the best career or life advice you have to give?

We are all in this together! Some of my best investigative successes have come as a result of the great partnerships I have developed with my local and state agency partners, as well as my support group within the Bureau. My advice would be to work well with others and remember that at the end of the day our main goal should be to protect the American people and put the bad guys in jail.

Who made a difference in your career? How?

All of my supervisors during my career have been great mentors. I have probably grown the most with my current supervisor since he has pushed me out of my comfort zone on different occasions by nominating me to a position with the FBI Agents Association and asking me to serve as acting supervisor for an extended period during his absence. His mentorship and friendship have made a big difference in how I view the Bureau.

Share the thing you’re most proud of from your FBI career.

Hard to pick one thing but probably becoming certified as an undercover employee has been one of the top three achievements. The certification is tough and not many people make it, so successfully completing that class was very rewarding. Also, using my Spanish language to not only advance a variety of investigations but also comfort victims when they are the most vulnerable.

I entered the academy on June 22, 1997, and was first assigned to the Washington Field Office to work complex financial crimes. My second assignment was Detroit, where I served at the Oakland County Resident Agency and became the coordinator of the Detroit Metro Identity Theft and Financial Crimes Task Force. I am now the supervisor of a squad investigating complex financial crimes.

What drew you to the FBI?

Prior to joining the FBI, I worked in the financial industry. I struggled to find the balance of hard work and reward and was considering a career change.

I began to research careers with the federal government, and that led me to the FBI. It was the mission, reputation, and caliber of people that attracted me. I had a strong desire for a sense of purpose. I want to finish each day knowing I made a difference and to love what I do all day, every day. The FBI was the best decision I ever made.

What does it mean to make room at the table? Why does it matter?

The new agents and professional staff at the Academy are the future of this organization. It is the job of our senior employees to mentor them and prepare them to lead this great organization into the next chapter. 

After graduate school, I started my federal career in the Presidential Management Fellows Program and then served in the Department of Justice for four years before moving to the FBI. I spent six years as a professional support employee before becoming a special agent. I’ve worked at field offices in Denver and Minneapolis and at FBI Headquarters.

What drew you to the FBI?

I was drawn to the FBI for the chance to work on important national security cases and the opportunity to work with talented and hard-working law enforcement professionals. Whenever I saw the FBI in the news or in movies, I always wanted the chance to be part of its success. 

Describe your most memorable case or investigative success.

During the past three years, I have worked on several large-scale financial disruptions. Together with our international and domestic law enforcement partners, our team has seized more than $250 million from foreign terrorist organizations. Most of this money is returned to the U.S. Victims’ of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund and given to U.S. citizens who are victims of state-sponsored terrorism. It’s rewarding to know that the work I do on a daily basis provides some financial comfort to crime victims.