On Being a Police Officer Ep. 81 – U.S. Marshal Bobby Ledogar: High-Profile Extraditions, Hunting Fugitives, Serving High-Risk Warrants—and Paying the Price for Turning Whistleblower.
Ep. 81 - This is a gripping look at the high-stakes world of the U.S. Marshals Service with retired Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Bobby “LED” Ledogar who committed 25 years to the agency handling high-profile extraditions, hunting fugitives and nearly losing his life serving high-risk warrants.
It is also a deeply personal account of what it was like to lose everything at the hands of the very institution he served because he chose to be a whistleblower in a discrimination case against one of his own deputy marshals. What you’ll also find in this episode is Bobby’s indomitable spirit and the strength he drew on to not only fight for what’s right, but also to fight back.
Bobby joined the U.S. Marshals Service in 1995 as a Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of New York/Brooklyn. In 2010, he promoted to Supervisor of the Warrants Squad assigned to the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force where he led a team of twelve marshals. Prior to joining the Marshals, Bobby served seven years in the U.S. Navy as a Master-at-Arms deployed to combat zones during Operation Desert Storm.
Bobby shares behind-the-scenes accounts of some of the most dramatic operations of his career including apprehending a violent MS-13 gang member; his involvement in the extradition of El Chapo; as well as tracking down a double-murder suspect who had evaded capture for more than 16 years – Andre Neverson – a U.S. Marshals “15 Most Wanted” fugitive featured on America’s Most Wanted TV show.
In 2015, Bobby supported Deputy U.S. Marshal Dawn Mahoney after she reported harassment and discrimination within the task force. As her supervisor and mentor, Bobby stood by her and testified on her behalf. What followed was swift and severe retaliation by the task force members identified in this whistleblower case involving a smear campaign that not only ended Bobby’s career but also threatened his and his wife’s safety ultimately forcing them to relocate from New York to Florida.
In April 2020, just two months shy of his scheduled retirement, Bobby was terminated. The firing immediately stripped him of his pay, medical coverage, and pension—leaving him and his family financially and emotionally devastated. We talk about what has kept him going these past few years, the mission to get back what was taken from him, and where things stand now.
Two organizations that supported Bobby from day one:
The National Police Defense Foundation (NPDF), which put a legal defense fund in place for the legal expenses Bobby has incurred with his case that is now before the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB). The NPDF is a nationally renowned and congressionally recognized non-profit that provides free medical and legal support services to the law enforcement community. https://npdf.org/
The other non-profit of which Bobby is a board member is the Federal Enforcement of Homeland Security Foundation (FEHSF), a non-profit whose mission is to provide emergency funding to the Federal Law Enforcement Community. https://www.fehsf.org/
You can connect with Bobby on LinkedIn under Robert Ledogar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-ledogar-276277146/
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©Abby Ellsworth. All booking, interviews, editing, and production by Abby Ellsworth. Music courtesy of freesound.org