PANELISTS:

Robert W. Fieseler, Investigative Journalist

Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist investigating marginalized groups and a scholar excavating forgotten histories. A National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association “Journalist of the Year” and recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship, his debut book Tinderbox won seven awards, including the Edgar Award, and his reporting has appeared in Slate, Commonweal, and River Teeth, among others. Fieseler graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia Journalism School and is pursuing a PhD at Tulane University. His highly anticipated second book, American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives, has been declared a “masterwork” by ALA Booklist, and he lives with his husband in New Orleans.

Peter J. Forcelli, ATF Deputy Assistant Director (ret.), Homicide Detective, NYPD

Peter J. Forcelli is the author of “The Deadly Path: How Operation Fast and Furious and Bad Lawyers Armed Mexican Cartels.” He is a retired ATF Deputy Assistant Director and former N.Y.P.D. homicide detective. During his 35-year law enforcement career he worked his way up from “beat cop” to detective, before going on to serve as a Special Agent for the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Before his retirement, he served as the head of training for the agency.

Mr. Forcelli was best known for developing complex criminal investigations targeting armed gangs and criminal organizations. He has made over 1,000 arrests and has served over 300 search warrants in his career. Mr. Forcelli has been recognized in Federal court as an expert witness in historical home invasion investigations and in New York State Courts as an expert witness in interviewing and identification techniques. He is best known for his work on several highly successful criminal cases, including the “Sex, Money, Murder” racketeering investigation, and the investigation into the Neese Bello Organization, which led to members of the group pleading guilty to over 145 home invasion style robberies. He was also a “whistleblower,” who came forward and testified in the congressional inquiry into the “Operation Fast & Furious” scandal, following the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Over the span of his career Mr. Forcelli served in several leadership positions within ATF in Phoenix, Arizona; Eastern Canada; Miami, Florida and in ATF Headquarters. While serving as the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Division, he oversaw ATF’s response to several mass shootings, including those at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland Florida. He also oversaw ATF’s investigation into Omar Mateen and his acquisition of the firearms that were used in the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

Mr. Forcelli has also been involved in the exoneration of eight people who were wrongfully arrested and convicted in Bronx, New York, for murders that they did not commit, to include a man that he himself helped arrest nearly a quarter of a century earlier, when evidence of that man’s innocence surfaced. Mr. Forcelli helped each of those people win their freedom, while also identifying and working to help prosecute the actual killers.

Mr. Forcelli is a survivor of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the World Trade Center and the lung cancer that he later developed because of his work in the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero. He is a recurring guest speaker at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Frank Perez, Executive Director, LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana

Frank Perez is a writer, teacher, tour guide, and public speaker who also serves as the Executive Director of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. He has authored several books on LGBT+ history in New Orleans and is also a columnist for two New Orleans magazines—Ambush and French Quarter Journal. His publications also include a number of scholarly articles in academic journals as well as a number of poems and short stories in various literary journals. His latest book, Rainbow Fleur de Lis: Essays on Queer New Orleans History, was just published by the University Press of Mississippi.

MODERATOR

Anna Muckenfuss, Director of Programs, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Anna Muckenfuss is the Director of Programs at the National Law Enforcement Museum. She has been with the museum since October 2018, and has served the organization in multiple capacities, including Visitor Experience and Education. Muckenfuss is also the host of the Law and Disorder Podcast on the museum’s Precinct 444 Network.

In 2017, Muckenfuss earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public History and German from Ball State University where she worked as a project fellow with the Ball State University African American Alumni Oral History Project for the University Archives. After graduation, Muckenfuss went on to pursue a Master of Arts in Museum Studies at Johns Hopkins University, which she completed in 2020.

In addition to her work at the museum, Muckenfuss serves as the Capstone Director for the High School Forensics Summer Camp at Georgetown University.