Marking the 60th anniversary of the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office, retired and current agents will discuss high-profile cases from the early 1960s to the current day. The local FBI presence has grown from a handful of agents to more than 130 today. Over the past six decades, the Las Vegas Field Office has investigated an array of cases, from murders, bombings and kidnappings to political corruption and the Mob’s infiltration of the casino industry.
This program will take place in the Museum’s Historic Courtroom.
Featured Speakers
Aaron Rouse, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Las Vegas
On July 28, 2016, FBI Director James B. Comey named Aaron Rouse as the Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas Division. Mr. Rouse most recently served as Section Chief in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters (FBI HQ).
Mr. Rouse began his career with the FBI in September 1996, and was first assigned to the Washington Field Office (WFO) where he worked violent crime and was on both the Joint Fugitive Task Force and the Violent Crime/Reactive squads.
In October 2014, Mr. Rouse was appointed as the Section Chief for the Clandestine Operations Section in the Counterintelligence Division at FBI Headquarters.
Prior to entering the FBI, Mr. Rouse was a state trooper in the New York State Police.
Dennis Arnoldy, retired FBI Agent
Dennis Arnoldy served as an FBI special agent from 1971-1997. After stints in El Paso, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas, he was assigned to the Las Vegas field office in 1980.
He was the case agent involved in the arrest of the Hole in the Wall Gang when it tried to burglarize the Bertha’s home furnishings store on July 4, 1981.
Arnoldy was responsible for debriefing Frank Cullotta, the mastermind of the Hole in the Wall Gang who became a cooperating witness in the case.
Johnny Smith, retired FBI Agent
Johnny L. Smith was raised in El Paso, Texas. He began his FBI career in 1964 as File Clerk in the FBI’s El Paso Division. In 1969, he graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and was accepted as a Special Agent with the FBI. After training school, he was assigned to the FBI in Kansas City, Missouri where he worked on the Organized Crime Squad. In 1970, he was transferred to the San Francisco Division’s Berkeley Resident Agency where he worked on the Weatherman Squad investigating domestic terrorists. In January 1973, he was transferred to the Las Vegas Division where he worked for twenty-two years. In January 1995, he retired from the FBI in Las Vegas, Nevada. During his years in the Las Vegas Division, he worked all types of cases but had an affinity for investigating complex white-collar crime matters. Frauds perpetrated against the casino industry became his specialty.
After retiring, Johnny continued his relationship with the FBI by working background investigations for the FBI on a contract basis.
Judge Bill Jansen, retired Agent and current Justice of the Peace
Judge Bill Jansen is currently a Justice Court judge for the Township of Las Vegas. He previously worked for 23 years with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was appointed to the bench in 1985. Jansen received his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his J.D. from the Drake University.
Steven Martinez, Senior Vice President of Global Security for MGM Resorts
Steven Martinez is the Senior Vice President of Global Security for MGM Resorts. Mr. Martinez oversees all corporate security functions and works closely with property security teams to assist in the continued development of companywide best practices. From 1987 to 2013, Mr. Martinez enjoyed a distinguished career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including a record of achievement in steering highly complex and sensitive global national security, cyber, and criminal investigations. Among a series of promotions throughout his FBI career, Mr. Martinez served as the Special Agent in Charge for the Las Vegas Field Office, as well as the Assistant Director in Charge in the Los Angeles Field Office. Mr. Martinez concluded his FBI career as the Executive Assistant Director for the Science and Technology Branch at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Herman Groman, retired FBI Special Agent
Herman Groman, is a retired FBI Special Agent and former director of security at a large Las Vegas hotel/casino. While in the FBI, he specialized in deep, long-term undercover operations as an undercover operative in the areas of organized crime and narcotics. Herman also served as the agent in charge of several high-profile public corruption investigations. Later, he worked as a team leader of an FBI Special Operations Group that conducted surveillances of major terrorist cells and their associates throughout the United States. Prior to his extensive FBI experience, Herman served in the infantry in Vietnam. He was awarded both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for valor.
