Mr. Ringel is a 21-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He began his career in 1995 conducting gang investigations in San Francisco. In 1997, he transferred to the New York office of the bureau, where he conducted several high-profile gang investigations throughout the city. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he then transferred to the counterterrorism branch, where he, over the next nine years, was deployed on seven long-term assignments to Afghanistan to collaborate on intelligence efforts with Department of Defense units, U.S. intelligence agencies, and foreign intelligence partners. He was also a supervisor for a counterterrorism squad responsible for investigating ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
In 2007, Mr. Ringel was one of the initial members of a joint F.B.I. and D.O.D team dedicated to investigating, locating, and dismantling Taliban suicide bomber cells operating in Kabul, an effort that saved countless American and Afghan lives. In 2011, he was assigned as the assistant legal attaché in Kabul. Here he worked closely with Department of State representatives in developing an Afghan rule of law program for the Afghan legal system, as well as spearheaded an Afghan fingerprinting initiative jointly sponsored by the D.O.D., D.O.S., and D.O.J. His efforts resulted in him being awarded the C.I.A.’s BG Richard T. Ellis Award for Excellence in HUMINT Collaboration (2012) and the F.B.I. Director’s Award for Excellence (2014). Upon his return to the United States, he was assigned as senior F.B.I. advisor for the Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), where he provided U.S. law enforcement expertise to military operational planners.
Mr. Ringel also served as the crisis management coordinator for the New York office of the F.B.I., coordinating the rapid deployment of quick-response teams. He planned, organized, and supervised numerous command post operations supporting a myriad of situations, from terrorism investigations to New York City special events.
Mr. Ringel completed his career as the coordinating supervisory special agent for the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in the F.B.I.’s New York office, managing the investigations and deployment of JTTF personnel throughout Europe, Canada, and Africa.
Following his F.B.I. career, Mr. Ringel was the director of operations for the Soufan Group, a leading company in geopolitical analysis and security assessments.
Mr. Ringel is a certified F.B.I. S.W.A.T. operator, breacher, and sniper. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and was an officer in the United States Marine Corps, attaining the rank of major. He completed naval flight training and was designated an AH1 attack helicopter pilot. During Operation Desert Storm he served as the air officer to an infantry battalion.