The FBI’s number two person Timothy P. Murphy is stepping down to take a position in the private sector, the FBI announced Wednesday. Sean Joyce, the Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch, will replace him as the deputy director.
“Tim Murphy has earned the respect and admiration of his FBI colleagues and that of the entire law enforcement and intelligence community,” FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III said in a statement. ” He will be missed.”
Murphy jumped to the number two spot in July 2010. He started with the FBI in 1988 and served in offices including Newark, Tampa, and Washington.
Joyce joined the FBI in 1987. He was first assigned to the Dallas Division, where he investigated violent crimes. He later worked on Colombian drug cases out of the Miami Field Office. In 1994, he became a member of the Bureau’s Hostage Rescue Team.
He worked his way through a number of jobs, and last year was named the Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch.
“Sean Joyce has made tremendous contributions to the Bureau and met tough challenges head-on,” Director Mueller said. “I have every expectation that he will do the same as deputy director.”
