May 14: Special Agent Dan DeSimone (ret.)
An FBI Undercover Operation as a Las Vegas Escort Manager
An honorably discharged and decorated veteran of the United States Armed Forces, DeSimone served the military police domestically and internationally and the FBI as a special agent. He held various positions in six field and headquarters assignments, including chief of both Undercover & Sensitive Operations and the Domestic Security Alliance Council. In honor of his service as lead FBI agent in charge of the Pope’s visit to America, he was awarded knighthood by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. Today, he is the senior director of Investigative Resources at Thomson Reuters, where he works with law enforcement and government agencies nationwide. DeSimone is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Directors Association, National Capital Region’s Government Business Executive Forum, and the Directors of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund board.
Sept. 10: Anne Beagan, Founder of ABP and Former FBI Special Agent
According to its website, ABP is a “modern film and television entertainment company dedicated to developing and producing authentic true crime content. The core of production is inspired by first-hand knowledge of the FBI, its procedures, practices and insight into events that shape the current political, societal and cultural paradigm. Broader scope of content is developed around crime and true crime.” Beagan served in the bureau’s largest field divisions, New York and Los Angeles, and had “unprecedented access and extraordinary insider status, not only to the FBI, but also to a wide-ranging network of subject matter experts, renowned filmmakers, and talent.” This positioned her to produce realistic content for worldwide audiences.
After transitioning to the New York FBI’s Office of Public Affairs as its entertainment industry liaison, Beagan “built wide working relationships handling diverse media projects: feature films, television series, documentaries, books and magazine articles, often featuring the FBI. (Her) talent for thinking outside the box is well known both inside the bureau and out, and has successfully led to her work on several ground-breaking media projects resulting in strong, trusted industry relationships that stand to this day,” according to the ABP website.
The company’s most high-profile ventures include “The Following,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Tower Heist,” “Mr. Robot,” “The Wizard of Lies,” “The Informer,” “The Looming Tower,” “Billions,” “Sleeper Cell,” “Madame Secretary,” “In the Footsteps of Willie Sutton,” “The Irishman,” “Inside the FBI: New York,” and “CNN Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies.”
Beagan has worked with some of the most prolific directors in the entertainment industry, including Martin Scorsese.
True Crime Lecture Series
• All true crime lectures are presented at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 4727 Concord Pike, in North Wilmington, from 5:30-8 p.m. Light fare.
• Law enforcement officers can receive training credit hours for each lecture.
• The series is free and open to the public, but registration is required at cji.wilmu.edu.