Jeff Cortese was born in California and graduated with a degree in Business (BS) from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1999. He received his Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certifications in 2016, and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Louisiana State University Shreveport in 2018. After working three years in the financial services industry where he earned his Series 6, 7, and 63, Cortese joined the United States Capitol Police (USCP). After graduating at the top of his recruitment class, he served as a Special Agent on the security detail of the United States Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, working executive protection assignments across the country including as the lead advance for the Speaker’s visit to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. While with the USCP he earned two Commendations and one Unit Citation.
 

In 2005, he joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a Special Agent working assignments in New Orleans and Tucson as a SWAT Operator and member of the Public Corruption and Southwest Border Violence squads, respectively. He earned the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission Excellence in Law Enforcement Award, OCDETF Regional Investigative Award and multiple FBI recognition awards for investigative accomplishments.
 

In 2011, he transferred to FBI Headquarters where he was assigned as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Public Corruption Unit, the FBI’s number one criminal priority program. From 2011 to 2012, Cortese served as the Acting Chief of the Public Corruption Unit. In 2013, he was transferred to San Francisco as a Supervisory Special Agent. While serving in these positions he provided investigative training across the country and to hundreds of senior law enforcement officers from dozens of countries on three continents.

Following his many years in public service, Cortese transitioned to the private sector where he accepted a role in risk management. He has since been published numerous times by multiple outlets as a law enforcement analyst.