Episode 183: Keith Tolhurst – Arizona Extortion, Kidnapping and Maiming Plot - a podcast by Jerri Williams

Retired agent Keith Tolhurst served in the FBI for 24 years. During his career, he investigated kidnappings, domestic terrorism, violent crimes, bank robberies, and fugitive matters. In this episode of FBI Retired Case File Review, he reviews an extortion case where the subjects threatened to kidnap and cut off the arm or leg of the 12-year-old son of an Arizona millionaire businessman unless he paid them $250,000. Through a series of phone calls and notes the scheme provided directions to the victim on where to drop the money. Frank Alber was arrested, convicted of conspiracy and mailing threatening communications and sentenced to 6 years in prison for the elaborate plot.

As the FBI Phoenix Division’s Senior SWAT team leader and SWAT Coordinator for the entire state of Arizona, Keith Tolhurst was involved in every aspect of crisis management to include: command post procedures, critical infrastructure threats, dignitary protection, special events, security assessments, and hostage situations. Keith was nominated for the medal of bravery for operations outside of the United States. He was a Principle Firearms and Tactical Instructor and designated as an FBI Master Police Instructor, providing firearms and tactics training around the world to thousands of students from international, military, state, local and tribal police agencies. After retiring from the FBI, he was employed as an independent contractor for the Bureau for seven years, providing classified and unclassified instruction to FBI agents related to advanced human intelligence. Keith is currently the founder of Tolhurst International, LLC a licensed private investigations firm that also provides security consultants, training courses, and guest speaker services.

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Jerri Williams, a retired FBI agent, author and podcaster, attempts to relive her glory days by writing and blogging about the FBI and hosting FBI Retired Case File Review, a true crime/history podcast. Her new book FBI Myths and Misconceptions: A Manual for Armchair Detectives is available as an audiobook, ebook, and paperback wherever books are sold. 

 

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