By Steve Neavling
Jose A. Perez was named special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, the bureau announced Monday.
Perez, who most recently served as a deputy assistant director within the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., has worked in multiple field offices with diverse assignments.
He first joined the bureau in 2003 as a special agent, beginning his career at the Jackson Field Office, where he worked on violent crime and gang investigations under the Jackson Safe Streets Gang Task Force.
His investigations into gang violence continued in 2006 when he transferred to the Miami Field Office to focus on gang and drug trafficking probes.
In 2013, Perez was promoted to supervisory special agent within the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI headquarters, where he oversaw organized crime operations in South and Central America.
In 2016, he took charge of the Violent Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Squad in the Las Vegas Division.
He assumed command of the Violent Crimes Task Forces in the Las Vegas office in 2017. Perez led several successful investigations, including gang-related probes and Hobbs Act violations. Notably, Perez played a key role in the nomination and eventual capture of one of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted fugitives. In 2018, he began leading the Las Vegas Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2018.
A year later, Perez was promoted to assistant special agent in charge in the Dallas Field Office, where he supervised FBI Resident Agencies across North Texas.
In 2021, he began serving as section chief over the Violent Crime Section of the Criminal Investigative Division.
Perez received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Florida International University.
