US Marine who lost legs in Afghanistan in 2010 now leads ‘Geek Squad’: ‘Nothing is ever really deleted’

A US Marine who lost his legs in Afghanistan is now using his team of “geeky” digital forensics experts to catch child abusers from his computer.

Justin Geithner, a resident of Pasco County, Florida, joined the United States Marine Corps directly out of high school and was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2010, he was seriously injured by an improvised explosive device and lost both legs. But that didn’t stop him from fighting on the front lines. He is now a computer forensics analyst with Homeland Security Investigations, where he tracks technical evidence and social media histories of criminals in child exploitation cases. Geithner sat in front of a computer screen, examining hard drives, cell phones and other digital devices for evidence related to child exploitation, human trafficking and other crimes.“We arrested a police officer. We arrested a firefighter. The mayor. Someone the public trusts,” he said. “For example, I was actually at the scene and discovered the images and videos, and the children were in the living room,” Geithner said.

geek squad

Gartner calls his team the “Geek Squad.” “We arrested a police officer. We arrested a firefighter. The mayor. Someone the public trusts,” he said. Most recently, he cracked a case against an Oldsmar man accused of harming dozens of children, including his own. “For example, I was actually at the scene and discovered the images and videos, and the children were in the living room,” Geithner said.“I say the Marine Corps made me a man,” he said. “But the reality is, working for Homeland Security Investigations — that’s where I’m supposed to be.”

More difficult mentally

Geithner said his current role is more mentally strenuous and taxing because much of his time is spent reviewing disturbing material. “It’s mentally tough, but it’s also more rewarding,” Geithner said. “That’s why they recruit combat-wounded veterans, because we have a certain mentality.”Gartner said that in this digital age, nothing is ever truly deleted. “If it is, we’ll find it eventually.”