Former FBI agent shares his unique story, including his involvement in the 9/11 attacks
Published: Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Working 44 days in a row with an allotted two to
three hours of sleep each day explains the life of Michael Finnegan, a current
professor at Point ParkUniversity,
following the 9/11 attacks. During that time, the now-former FBI agent made many
arrests and worked diligently to protect the country.
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Kelly Cline
Michael Finnegan, a professor at Point Park,
plays thebagpipes at the 9/11 candlelight vigil
held on Sept. 11.
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This job opportunity followed his resident
assistant position and prefaced his teaching position, displaying his eclectic
set of interests and open-mindedness in careers.
"I never had any closed doors,"
Finnegan said. "My office door is never closed. I never closed the door in
my dorm. I never cut any deals or gave any special treatment. I'm a realist."
He has had his fair share of unique experiences
and now works to pass his knowledge onto his students, while remaining active
and involved in a multitude of areasm,
such as music and writing.
Growing up in the Hazelwood neighborhood,
Finnegan graduated from South Catholic High School andcontinued his education at Pennsylvania State
University, where he earned undergraduate degrees in journalism and law
enforcement. His education came at a low price, but at times with a high risk.
Finnegan was unexpectedly placed into a Resident
Assistant (RA) job on a floor of 20 to 30-year-old non-traditional students.
The previous RA quit after the men on the floor replaced the contents in a fire
extinguisher with gasoline and started a fire. The can was not used to attempt
to put out the flames, but the RA quickly quit his position and Finnegan was
left to deal with a floor full of men who disliked authority.
"I came in and said, ‘These are the
rules,'" Finnegan said. "I was a fresh-faced young kid, but I was
still 6'4" and 210 pounds. I told them, ‘These are the rules and I don't
make any exceptions.'"
He made it through that rest of his
undergraduate education and left with $1,200 in loans. Not all was a battle in
college, as Finnegan met his wife Colette when he was 18 years old. His first
date did, however, contain a punch to the face, after he challenged Colette to
do so when she expressed dislike to a comment he had made. Despite the
bloodshed, the two married eight years later and had a son nine months and two
days following the marriage. Now with two daughters and a son, he keeps a sense
of humor when talking about her choice in being with him.
"She's very intelligent with one obvious
mistake in her past," Finnegan said. "That she married me."
Unsure of what he wanted to further pursue, he
held various jobs including working with delinquent kids and driving a truck.
When his son was six months old, he took the Law School Admission Test and
changed career paths. Finnegan's scores granted him entrance to the University
of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he completed his law degree.
Finnegan was then recruited for the FBI in his
third year of law school by a former nun, Special Agent Joan Misko, who visited the school to
promote the agency. She explained the physical requirements were 20 pull-ups,
72 push-ups and 100 sit-ups in a minute. Sitting in the back of the room,
Finnegan felt the need to speak out.
"I raised my hand and said, ‘How many
push-ups can you do?' and she said, "Well, why don't you come on down here
and see how many both of us can do,'" Finnegan said. "I was smart
enough not to go down there. I was not going to get on the stage with this
former nun who was dressed in business attire and was fully prepared to
challenge me to a push-up contest. I was so impressed with her though that I
filled out the application that day."
He went right out of law school into the new
agency academy. After 14 weeks of training, he was placed into the area of
public records where he began his work in Pittsburgh. After nine months,
he was relocated to the Milwaukee division for two and a half years until he
was placed in the New York City Manhattan Field Office. While stationed there
for 10 years, he helped to capture the Black September terrorist, Khalid Duhham Al-Jawary, in 1991 in Rome.
Al-Jawary had
attempted to detonate car bombs in New York in 1973, but the plans failed. He
was caught and found guilty on three counts of attempting to destroy property
with an explosive device. Because of Finnegan's experiences with Al-Jawary, the two grew somewhat
close. He explained the convicted criminal's reaction to the verdict.
"He almost died in his chair,"
Finnegan said. "He called my name as they were leading him away and he
extended his hand and called for me. Not for his attorney. He called my name.
We were and still are friends."
Al-Jawary was
placed in a multitude of prisons, being moved often at the fear of him being
broken out of confinement. He served 18 years of his 30-year sentence and was
released in 2008. Finnegan looked past the wrong that Al-Jawaryhad done and had nothing but apositive attitude towards the convicted
terrorist.
"He has five kids, and I hope they don't
become terrorists," Finnegan said. "I hope they don't ever go to
prison, and I hope he enjoys the rest of his life."
Following his stay in New York City, he was
moved to West Virginia for 18 months until he came back to Pittsburgh where he
stayed from 1997 until 2004. It was here that Finnegan experienced the effects
of Sept. 11, 2001.
He was placed on the Terrorist Task Force and
explained that after the 9/11 attacks, plans to target Pittsburgh were found in
a cave in Afghanistan. A map contained the intersection of Seventh Avenue and
Grant Street, with translated language that described their method of attack.
The terrorists planned to drive a truck bomb up the ramp of the Post Office
building, which is connected to the courthouse, and detonate a bomb.
"That would have been directly under my
office," Finnegan said.
The FBI agent explained that the same plans were
found in Hamburg, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
"You have to assume that Pittsburgh, Pa.,
the little town, was a prime target, or at least a secondary target,"
Finnegan said.
Working so many hours left him with little time
to be a father. Finnegan rarely saw his children during the initial weeks that
followed the attacks, but he made an exception around day 28 of his 44-day work
schedule.
It was his daughter's junior prom and he had not
seen her in weeks. Colette called to explain that photographs were being taken
of the couples before the dance.
"I was sad and on duty in the command
center," Finnegan said. "I could hear people laughing and I asked,
‘What's funny?' My wife answered explaining that my daughter's boyfriend at the
time said, ‘If you were here you'd probably handcuff me,' and that struck me as
the wrong thing to say."
After 20 years of service, Finnegan retired at
the age of 50. The day was a cause of celebration as his play
"Meagher," which he had written, opened on March 4, 2004 at the Penn
Avenue Theatre, the same day as his retirement.
Finnegan explained that the play was about
Thomas Francis Meagher, anIrish-American condemned to death for a rebellion in
1848. His sentence was lessened to life in prison and sent to Tazmania where he
escaped in 1852.
Meagher made it back to America, specifically
NYC, and became a person of great public interest. He helped form Irish Brigade
in the Civil War, became acting governor of Montana and announced to the Free
Masons there would be no more lynchings.
The number combination "3-7-77" was
left on the people who were lynched, serving as a warning to others. Finnegan
found himself subject to one of these warnings while in Montana to conduct
research for his play. He was invited to speak at a dedication of a Meagher
statue and was warned to be mindful of the situation he was in.
"They told me to be careful of what I said
because I didn't have to live there but I'm never careful with what I
say," Finnegan said.
He gave his speech and after went to a local
bar, where he learned why a warning might have been given.
"I went out to have a few beers and a guy
came in, took a napkin and wrote on it and slid it over to me and asked if I
was armed," Finnegan said. "I said, ‘Yes,' even though I wasn't and
he said ‘Good. Be careful.' He left and I turned over the napkin and written on
it was ‘3-7-77.'"
Along with writing plays, Finnegan began to
teach. He was approached by Professor Michael Botta, customs agent and former
member of the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force, who recommended working at Point
Park. Shortly after, Finnegan started teaching a graduate course in ethics and
became a full-time professor.
He now teaches criminal justice classes and has
created a number of intelligence courses, although he is not permitted to teach
them due to his critiques of the CIA and FBI.
"I did not get along with and I still
disagree with FBI management procedures and I made that very clear,"
Finnegan said. "As I got older, I knew more and I understood more."
Other professors now teach his intelligence
courses, but Finnegan still continues his work in assessing and analyzing the
methods of the organizations.
"The administration of the FBI is not
sacred," Finnegan said. "I write and critique FBI administration
because I think I have a patriotic duty, and I write and critique about CIA
management because I interacted with the CIA station most of the places where I
was."
Of the courses Finnegan does teach, professional
responsibility remains his favorite. He explains that he is investing in the
lives of his students who may be in law enforcement for 20 to 30 years. He
tries to make the class inspirational and entertaining.
Eric Brandt, a junior forensic science major,
has been a student in a few of Finnegan's classes, the most recent being
criminal evidence, which he is taking this semester. Brandt enjoys the classes,
but more importantly recognizes the effort that Finnegan puts forth.
"He is a very good person and a very good
teacher," Brandt said. "He truly loves his students and always tries
to look out for what's best for us."
The one lesson he teaches to all of his students
is to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Finnegan explains the importance of
avoiding even the view that one may be involved in criminal or illegal
activities and makes it a test question for his finals.
Frank Hartle, assistant federal security
director for law enforcement for Homeland Security, knows well the dedication
and care that Finnegan has for his students. Hartle met Finnegan at the FBI
Joint Terrorism Task Force. The first day of his assignment was the day of
retirement for Finnegan. Still, Hartle had heard about the former agent's work
ethic.
"He lived the cases and followed them all
the way through," Hartle said. "To him, it wasn't just a nine-to-five
job."
The two kept in touch, and Finnegan eventually
recommended that Hartle obtain his master's degree at Point Park, which he did
in Criminal Justice Administration and soon after became an adjunct professor.
Throughout his time at Point Park, Hartle has
witnessed the commitment Finnegan has to teaching and his students.
"The reason he is at Point Park is because
he cares about his students," Hartle said. "Every conversation is
about his students and how he can help them. He believes in Point Park, but
more importantly he believes in his students."
While teaching classes and lecturing important
life lessons, Finnegan still finds time to learn new tricks. Most recently, he
took up bagpipe playing. His inspiration came at one of his annual St.
Patrick's Day parties. Finnegan holds himself close to his Irish heritage and
pays respect every year.
Patrick Griffith, a teacher at the Gateway
School District who has attended Finnegan's parties since he was 12,
brought a painting of a piper to the party as a gift. It was then that the
professor decided he was going to learn the pipes.
He found George Balderose, a Pittsburgh bagpiper
and instructor. Finnegan approached him in hopes of being taught the necessary
skills.
"I asked, ‘Is there any way a 55-year-old
guy can play the pipes?'" Finnegan said. "He said, ‘If you promise me
you'll play 30 minutes a day, every day for a year, I'll train you for a year
and I'll tell you at the end of the year.'"
The Irish-American took lessons weekly and
ordered a $2,000 set of pipes at the end of the year. Initially, he couldn't play
anything with the new pipes but eventually transitioned to the set and
performed "Amazing Grace" at his next St. Patrick's Day party.
Finnegan can now play 30 songs and gets invited to perform at funerals and
weddings.
Finnegan holds an appreciative attitude of what
he has been able to accomplish in his life.
"I love my country," Finnegan said.
"I'm an American patriot and the fact that I was an FBI agent, I am
extremely grateful for. The mission of the FBI is extremely important to
safeguard the United States and to defend and uphold the Constitution of the
United States. Those are holy words."
He teaches his students to be honest, and he
lives his life in accordance to this lesson.
"I have a duty to the truth," Finnegan
said. "I am a witness to the truth and that's all I'm going to be."
