By Steve Neavling
Jason T. Crouse has been named senior supervisory senior resident agent of the FBI offices in Erie and New Castle, Pa.
The offices cover seven counties in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Crouse, a Pennsylvania native and 19-year veteran of the bureau, replaced Supervisory Special Agent Mark Beneski.
Beneski told the Erie Times-News that Crouse is a good fit for the position.
“He’s definitely a hard-working guy, definitely dedicated to the Erie area,” Beneski said. “He’s been here a long time, and in that time he’s made a lot of great relationships throughout the whole area.”
Crouse received an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland and a law degree from the School of Law at Wake Forest University.
Before joining the bureau, he worked as a public defender in Maryland.
“Law enforcement was always in the back of my mind, something I always wanted to do,” he said. “As I progressed through college and law school, I always viewed the FBI as the pinnacle of law enforcement, so that’s what I set my sights on.”
Crouse’s career with the FBI began in Erie, where he served for seven years as a coordinator for the Erie Area Gang Law Enforcement task force (EGLE)
For roughly the next decade, Crouse investigated violent crimes against children.
“While that was my primary focus, based on small number agents we have here and the broad spectrum of investigations we have to undertake, I’ve had experience in all those violations. So I’ve worked counterterrorism investigations, bank robbery, white collar fraud, health care fraud. And not always as a case agent in charge of an investigation but certainly in a supporting role here,” he said.
Crouse said the top priorities at the Erie office are counterterrorism and national security, as well as violent crimes and fentanyl.
