John Bivona




CERTIFICATIONS

Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity

Cisco Systems, Inc.

CERTIFIED CYBER INVESTIGATOR (CCIP)

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL CRIMES INVESTIGATOR (CFCI)

International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators

CERTIFIED CYBER CRIME INVESTIGATOR (CCCI)

International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators

Cybersecurity Certificate

Purdue University Northwest in Collaboration with Ivy Tech Community College, University of North Carolina and University of Tennessee

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR

New York State, FBI, and U.S. Army

Evidence Response Team

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Licensed Private Investigator

New York State

Counter Terrorism Investigations Expert

United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

Experience

President Gardisto Group LLC, New York, NY Oct 2022 – Present

Duties: Providing a comprehensive portfolio of professionally tailored services to a diverse range of clients, including individuals, businesses, and government entities both domestically and internationally. Collaborating with the FBI International Corruption Unit (ICU), the DOJ Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), and Madison Associates to provide consultation for complex international financial crimes and corruption investigations.

Legal Attaché - Riga, Latvia, Mar 2019 – Aug 2022, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Duties: Lead an FBI Team responsible for coordinating all programs with host-nation and embassy partners in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with an emphasis on anti-money laundering and counter-intelligence and counter-Russia efforts.

  • ·       Conduct crisis planning in response to the Ukraine War.

  • ·       Integrate the FBI into the whole-of government Counter-Russia effort.

  • ·       Organize interactions between U.S. and by host-nation partners to provide advice and increase bi-lateral cooperation.

  • ·       Collaborate with Department of Justice and Treasury to create innovative training during COVID to improve effectiveness of AML investigations.

  • ·       Form partnerships with the Financial Intelligence Units in all Baltic Nations to convert their intelligence into viable investigations.

·       As a result, operational cooperation increased between the United States and host-nation governments. Evaluations from international organizations improved.



Colonel / Senior Watch Officer - Stuttgart, Germany, Jan 2018 – Dec 2019, European Command, United States Army Reserve

Duties: Manages the European Command (EUCOM) Joint Operations Center (JOC). Represents the Senior Leadership and at times is the Senior Officer synchronizing operations and responding to critical incidents in Europe and Israel.  Provide initial guidance and brief senior EUCOM Leadership regarding critical incidents ranging from serious injury of a Service Member to military strikes.  Represent the senior leadership at coordination meetings. 

  • ·       Develop the JOC personnel into a cohesive unit by setting objectives and tracking progress.

  • ·       Respond to numerous emergency/critical incidents by determining resource and notification requirements to mitigate and manage risk.

  • ·       Empower various military professionals to share their information and opinion to provide the best advice to the senior leadership.

  • ·       Briefed EUCOM Leadership on current operations.

Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.



Legal Attaché - Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Mar 2016 - Mar 2019, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Duties: Lead an FBI team responsible for coordinating all programs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro with an emphasis on counter-terrorism and cyber-crime.

  • ·       Travel throughout the region harmonizing expectations and practices with local law enforcement and intelligence agency counterparts.

  • ·       Serve as the primary advisor for Ambassadors in three countries on counter-terrorism law enforcement issues.

  • ·       All three nations signed and utilized the information sharing agreements thwarting several terrorist incidents.

As a result of these efforts, I was evaluated as highly effective, and the office was assessed as high performing which are the highest ratings.



Colonel / Director- Washington, D.C., Apr 2014 – Jan 2018, United States Army Reserve, National Defense University

Duties: Director of the Reserve Component National Security Course (RCNSC) National Defense University (NDU). Coordinated lectures, seminar group administration and exercise execution for National Strategic Level Decision-Making Course for more than 400 senior leaders. 

  • ·       Selected, trained, and supervised more than 60 personnel as seminar leaders and administrative staff. Ensured course complied with all accreditation requirements.

  • ·       Established a rigorous Seminar Leader training program.

  • ·       Instituted the use of cloud-based services such as Google to allow instructors to prepare for the training prior to arriving onsite.

  • ·       Constantly updated curriculum to focus on current topics.

  • ·       Evaluations from students and administrators were always high.

Awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal for exceptional performance.



Supervisory Special Agent - New York, NY, Jan 2010 - Mar 2016, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):

Duties:  Supervised a Joint FBI/NYPD Organized Crime Task Force (JOCTF) conducting complex cyber and traditional criminal investigations to detect, disrupt, and dismantle transnational organized crime groups. Lead an investigative team responsible for dismantling an international cyber-criminal organization responsible for millions in loss to victims and corporations.  The scheme involved hacking into car auction sites, hijacking ads, negotiating sales of non-existent vehicles, and utilizing an international money laundering network.

  • ·       Partner with the National Cyber Forensics Training Alliance (NCFTA), financial institutions, and foreign law enforcement to track the proceeds and seize or freeze the funds. 

  • ·       Coordinate simultaneous arrests with security services in four countries.

  • ·       Private industry reported auto-auction fraud dropped to near zero after the arrests and remained 40% lower six months after the operation.

  • ·       The team was awarded the NY Federal Executive Board Teamwork Award.

  • ·       FBI Assistant Legal Attaché Tirana, Albania – assessed the FBI’s ability to cooperate with Albanian Security Services. Received a letter of commendation from the US Ambassador.



 Special Agent - New York, NY, Jun 1996 - Jan 2010, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Duties:  Assigned to Joint Terrorism Task Force and International Organized Crime Task Force.

Special Agent NYO JTTF - targeting terrorist groups operating in the New York Metropolitan Area.

  • ·       Coordinated investigations with JTTF Partners and the intelligence community

  • ·       One of two FBI Investigators assigned to the Northern Iraq Joint Interagency Task Force sponsored by the 101st ABN DIV (AASLT). Coordinated operations and provided training for US agencies and the Iraqi police and intelligence forces.

  • ·       Special Agent, FBI/NYPD International Organized Crime Task Force New York, NY

  • ·       One of the four Agents selected to establish the FBI/Hungarian National Police (HNP) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) in Budapest, Hungary.



 Executive Officer - Fallujah, IQ, Oct 2004 – Oct 2005, U.S. Army, Iraqi Army Military Advisory Team

Duties: Second-in-command of an Advisory Support Team composed of forty Army and Marine Corps personnel tasked with training and advising a newly formed Iraqi Army unit of more than 2,700 Iraqi soldiers engaged in combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq.

  • ·       Developed the newly formed U.S. Team into a cohesive unit by setting objectives and tracking progress.

  • ·       Initiated training opportunities for Iraqi partners by incorporating them into joint operations with neighboring U.S. military units. 

  • ·       Established trust between the Iraqi Leadership and the U.S. Advisors by bridging cultural differences and focusing on common goals to develop an integrated team.

  • ·       The Iraqi unit became self-sufficient and conducted independent operations.

Awarded the Bronze Star Medal for exceptional service. 



Commissioned Officer - Various Locations, May 1989 - Apr 2018, US Army

Duties: Experience with joint and multi-national teams as a planner, educator, mentor, and operator.

ASSIGNMENTS

  • Command & General Staff College (ILE) Senior Instructor

  • Fordham University ROTC, Assistant Professor of Military Science

  • Executive Officer, Iraqi Army Military Advisory Team, Fallujah, IQ

  • Various Army Reserve assignments in the US and Europe

  • Assistant Operations Officer 20th Special Forces Group (MANG)

  • Infantry Officer in Berlin, Germany

  • Former Yugoslavia UN Peacekeeper

  • Multi-national Battalion Northern Iraq and Turkey

MILITARY TRAINING ATTENDED

  • U.S. Army Command and General Staff College - Intermediate Level Education

  • Ranger School

  • Airborne School

  • Air Assault School



EDUCATION

THE UNITED STATES ARMY WAR COLLEGE

Master's Degree, Strategic Studies
Graduated May 2018 

PACE UNIVERSITY - LUBIN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

MBA, International Business  

FORDHAM GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

BS, Business, Management and Marketing