My Experience

With more than 40 years of law enforcement experience, Ovie Carroll is currently the Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Cybercrime Lab in the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. He designed and built the Lab to give federal prosecutors a national technical capability dedicated to ensuring that digital evidence is presented completely, accurately, and reliably, and that technical findings are never overstated or misleading. Leading the Lab in advanced digital investigative analysis, cybercrime investigative support, forensic methodology guidance, and litigation support, Mr. Carroll helps prosecutors across the country navigate questions of user attribution, forensic reliability, AI-related evidentiary issues, and the courtroom presentation of technical findings. His work centers on translating complex digital artifacts into reliable, explainable, and legally useful evidence, and has helped shape how prosecutors and investigators evaluate digital evidence, recognize forensic limitations, build sound investigative strategies, and present technical conclusions in court.

In recognition of his sustained superior accomplishments, Mr. Carroll received the 2017 Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Senior Professional. He is a published author on digital investigative analysis and forensic methodology, with writings used across the legal and law enforcement communities. He is also a Principal Instructor with the SANS Institute, where he proposed the concept for what would become FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis (originally FOR408) and remains a co-author of the course today.

Before joining DOJ, Mr. Carroll served as the Special Agent in Charge for the Computer Investigative Operations branch with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Postal Inspector General's Office, and as an adjunct professor in George Washington University's Master of Forensic Science program. Across his career, he has conducted investigations spanning computer intrusions, murder, fraud, bribery, counterintelligence, and narcotics, and taught interview and interrogation for years, giving him a rare breadth of field experience that informs his technical work today. His career began in 1986 as a military law enforcement officer at Hurlburt Field, deploying with the Air Force's 1st Special Operations Wing, where his service was recognized with multiple awards for achievement and performance.