August 03, 2015
Contributed Art/FBI
William F. Sweeney was named the special agent in charge at the FBI Philadelphia field office, replacing the retired Edward Hanko.
The FBI Philadelphia field office has a new top dog.
William F. Sweeney Jr. was tapped Monday by FBI Director James B. Comey as special agent in charge of the Philadelphia field office. Sweeney replaces Edward Hanko, who retired Friday after leading the office since March 2013.
Sweeney comes to Philadelphia after serving as the special agent in charge of the Counterterrorism Division of the New York Field Office. There, he oversaw the Joint Terrorism Task Force and all FBI counterterrorism investigations within the office's jurisdiction.
A Philadelphia-area native and Villanova University alum, Sweeney joined the FBI in 1998, working on a public corruption squad at the Newark field office.
He began serving in March 2009 as an assistant section chief of the International Terrorism Operations Section 1 at the National Counterterrorism Center in Virginia. In this capacity, Sweeney oversaw international terrorism investigations conducted throughout the continental United States. He was a member of a team that received the 2010 Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service and the National Intelligence Exceptional Service Medal.
Sweeney returned to Newark in October 2010, serving as an assistant special agent in charge. From February 2013 to March 2014, he worked as special assistant to the FBI's deputy director at FBI Headquarters in Washington.
Sweeney served in the U.S. Navy aboard USS Vella Gulf, a guided missile cruiser. He holds a master's degree in security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School.
