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“I’ve wanted to work for the FBI ever since I was a kid,” Leithead says.
Tabatabaian says. “That just kind of helped solidify in my own mind
“My Little League baseball coach was an FBI agent. I remember thinking
that I was making the right choice.”
that there must be nothing better than going to work every day and
Within a span of five years, all had graduated from USD and joined
putting bad guys away.”
the FBI, with Tabatabaian stationed in Los Angeles, Leithead in New
His first opportunity came as a USD undergraduate when he was
York, Schramm in Washington, D.C., and Iannarelli in Flint, Mich.
accepted into the prestigious FBI Honors internship program after his
Tabatabaian helped recover underwater evidence as a member of
junior year and was assigned to the organized crime section at FBI
the FBI’s dive team in Los Angeles when he wasn’t investigating bank
headquarters. Among the projects he worked on was helping to write
fraud and public corruption cases, including working undercover to
a “white paper” on Britain returning control of Hong Kong to China
catch prison guards accepting bribes to smuggle everything from
and the effects the transfer could have on organized crime.
cigarettes to cell phones into a California penitentiary.
“That was a terrific summer,” Leithead says. “It was very exciting and
Schramm worked in the Washington, D.C., Field Office for two years
just a great all-around experience. The supervisors I worked with were
before transferring to Los Angeles, where his wife was also an agent.
great role models for me.”
His primary focus was on counterintelligence and counterterrorism,
Among them, John Iannarelli ’93 (J.D.), who had become the first
a realm where the well-worn trope, “I could tell you, but I’d have to kill
USD student to earn a spot in the FBI internship program two years
you” holds slightly more resonance.
prior with encouragement from Larry Campbell ’63 (J.D.), a special
“I’ve worked national security matters my entire career, so discussing
agent who oversaw FBI recruiting in San Diego.
cases is a challenge,” he says. “Most of the work I’ve done has never
“I was very interested in the FBI going into the internship,” Iannarelli
really seen the light of day.”
says. “Coming out of it, I never had a doubt. I never looked back.”
Early in his career, Iannarelli worked several kidnapping cases in and
Eric Schramm ’96 (J.D.) and Ramyar Tabatabaian ’96 (J.D.) took slightly
around Detroit, although one of his very first assignments was helping
more circuitous routes. Schramm first studied political science at UCLA,
chase Michigan leads in the months after the Oklahoma City bombing.
then economics, before eventually graduating with a degree in physiol-
“I was just a small cog in the wheel,” Iannarelli says, “but I was excited
ogy. Rather than enter medical school, he opted to study law at USD.
to be a part of something much bigger than myself.”
Even then his career arc was far from certain.
Leithead was assigned to the New York City Field Office and worked
“I had this sinking suspicion that I might have a hard time being
counterintelligence, counterterrorism, violent crime and several high-
a litigator for 25 to 30 years,” Schramm says. There are some people
profile bank robbery cases (including the so-called “Sleepover Bandit”
who want to be FBI agents from an early age, but for me it never
case, which netted him a “Federal Investigator of the Year” award).
really crossed my mind until law school.”
Like Schramm, his public résumé is scant.
Tabatabaian started his post-undergrad life in the corporate world
“I’ve been privileged to be a part of a lot of great investigations,”
working for a broker, Charles Schwab & Company, after majoring in
Leithead says, adding with a chuckle, “I just can’t talk about most of them.”
economics at Cal. But something was missing.
The most painful unfolded suddenly, vividly for the world to see on a
“I found out pretty quick that you have to find a job that you love,”
Tuesday morning in September 2001. Leithead had just broken off a surveil-
he says. “I decided that I wanted something more than just a job
lance assignment in Staten Island and was waiting at the ferry landing when
where I’d make a few bucks.”
he saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center and both towers fall.
Tabatabaian enrolled in law school at Northern Illinois University
“I think everybody in the FBI remembers exactly where they were
before transferring to USD where, with Campbell’s encouragement,
when they heard the news,” says Iannarelli, who was the FBI’s air-
he set his sights on the FBI.
port liaison in San Diego that day. “But, because of who we are and
“Larry Campbell told me that this was the best job in America,”
what we do, there wasn’t a whole lot of time to think about how we
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