Eric O'Neill

Eric O’Neill, the real life hero behind the movie “Breach”, helped capture the most notorious spy in United States history, Robert Phillip Hanssen. O’Neill was selected to work with the spy within the newly minted information assurance division, created to protect all classified FBI intelligence. As a Partner and General Counsel in the Georgetown Group, Eric specializes in counterintelligence and counterterrorism operations, security risk assessment, investigations into economic espionage, internal investigations, and background investigations.

Eric served as an undercover operative for the F.B.I., where he conducted national security field operations against terrorists and foreign intelligence agents. His role in the investigation and capture of Robert Hanssen led to the eventual apprehension and successful debrief and conviction of Hanssen.

Eric graduated from Auburn University (B.A., Psychology, Political Science, with honors) and The George Washington University School of Law (J.D., with honors). He is admitted to the bars of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Raised in Washington, D.C., Eric graduated from Gonzaga College High School, just north of the United States Capitol.

“Eric O’Neill is an enthralling speaker who brings to life the realities of espionage and what it means to the average business. He painted a picture that was both enticing and terrifying based upon his experience at the FBI.”

CSO Magazine

Before he founded The Georgetown Group, Eric practiced for five years in the Government Contracts Group at the law firm of DLA Piper. He has extensive legal experience in the areas of homeland security, border protection, risk and liability mitigation for anti-terrorism technologies (the SAFETY Act, Subtitle G of Title VIII of the Homeland Security Act), and other national security matters. Eric worked as both a counselor and litigator on a range of legal and investigative matters, including due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, procurement fraud, internal investigations of companies and employee corruption cases.

Eric is a frequent public speaker who lectures nationally and internationally on a number of espionage and terrorism-related topics, including: security issues, legal compliance, industrial and economic spying, counter-fraud and Hollywood.

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If you would like to request Eric O’Neill as a speaker, please email info@georgetowngroup.com.