FBI names Sherri E. Onks Special Agent in Jacksonville

WASHINGTON – Director Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI),Christopher Wray has named Sherri E. Onks as the special agent in charge of Jacksonville Field Office in Florida. Ms. Onks most recently served as an executive special assistant to the Director.

Ms. Onks joined the FBI as a special agent in 1999 and was assigned to the Los Angeles Field Office. She initially investigated white-collar crime then switched to counterterrorism matters after 9/11. She transferred to the San Juan Field Office in 2003 to investigate public corruption cases and was temporarily assigned to FBI Headquarters in Washington to work a high-profile public-corruption case with terrorism connections.

In 2006, Ms. Onks transferred to the Richmond Field Office in Virginia, where she conducted complex corporate and securities fraud investigations. She handled several complex investigations and established and led the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force.

She was promoted to supervisory special agent in 2012 and worked as the program coordinator of FBI Richmond’s complex financial crime, public corruption, civil rights, and health care fraud programs. She also oversaw the public corruption investigation that resulted in the first-ever federal criminal convictions of a Virginia governor and first lady.

In 2014, Ms. Onks was named assistant legal attaché to Vancouver, Canada. She facilitated criminal, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism investigations and joint operations in Western Canada. She also served as FBI liaison to Canadian counterparts in the region and maintained relationships with law enforcement and intelligence partners.

Ms. Onks was promoted in 2019 to the assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal and Administrative Branch of the Knoxville Field Office in Tennessee. She was appointed special executive assistant to the Director in 2020 to serve as an advisor to Director Wray.

Ms. Onks earned a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College in Tennessee and a master’s degree in criminology from the University of Memphis. Prior to joining the FBI, Ms. Onks worked in the health physics field.