Head of Boston FBI, familiar face during Marathon bomb probe, to retire

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Richard DesLauriers, the head of the Boston FBI office who became a familiar face during the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, is retiring next month, the FBI said today in a statement.

Richard DesLauriers (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

DesLauriers, a native of Longmeadow, served more than 26 years with the agency, taking the helm in Boston in July 2010.

In addition to the Marathon bombings probe, he has overseen a number of other significant investigations, the agency said, including the arrest of notorious gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, the arrests of Russian “sleeper agents,” the arrest and conviction of two local homegrown terrorists, and the conviction of former Massachusetts House speaker Salvatore DiMasi. He also oversaw the investigation into the Gardner Museum art theft.

DesLauriers said it had been an honor and a privilege to lead the Boston office.

“I thank the very hard-working women and men of the FBI for their dedicated public service to our great nation, and I thank our many law enforcement and United States Attorney’s Office partners for their enduring friendship and countless contributions to enhancing public safety and security across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine,” he said.

DesLauriers, with his trademark calm, “bookish” personality, and penchant for precision, set the tone for the 100-hour-long investigation that began with the April 15 bombings and ended with one suspect dead and a second suspect in custody on April 19, the Globe reported in April.

“I like to win and I hate to lose, and I try to bring that competitiveness to the workplace and apply it to my mission within the FBI, whatever that mission might be at any given time,’’ DesLauriers told the Globe.

A graduate of Assumption College, DesLauriers began FBI duty in January 1987. He previously served in the Birmingham, New York, and Washington, D.C., offices. In Washington, his assignments included a stint as deputy assistant director of counterintelligence.

DesLauriers has accepted a job as vice president of corporate security with the Penske Corp. in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., the statement said. His retirement is effective July 13, 2013.