William J. Sorukas, Jr.

Associate

William J. Sorukas, Jr., served as a Chief within the Investigative Operations Division from 2003 to
January 2014. Throughout a distinguished career in law enforcement, he worked on numerous high-
profile assignments, earning a notable catalogue of awards and top honors. He was presented the Top
Cop Award by the National Association of Police Organizations for his investigative effort in the
Washington D.C. “Beltway Sniper” case and the arrests of John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd
Malvo. In 2000, Chief Sorukas was recognized with a national award by the Executive Office for the
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force for his role in “Operation Purple Gang.” He has been
the recipient of the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and received the Chairman’s
Award for Heroism from the San Diego Federal Executive Association, and throughout his career has
received commendations from Attorneys General Edwin Meese, Richard Thornburgh, Janet Reno,
John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzalez, Michael Mukasey, and Eric Holder.

A native of South Bend, Indiana, Chief Sorukas earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from
Indiana State University in 1982 and shortly after graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement
Academy in Plainfield, Indiana. After completing USMS Basic Training at the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, he graduated from the USMS Special Operations
Group Basic Training at Camp Beauregard, in Pineville, Louisiana. In 1997, Chief Sorukas completed
the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership in San Diego, California.
In 2001, he graduated from the Department of Defense Technical Surveillance Counter Measures
Course at Fort Washington, Maryland. In July 2008, he attended the 40 th Session of the Senior
Management Institute for Police with the Police Executive Research Forum in Boston, Massachusetts.
During 2010, he served as a Senior Fellow to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, where
he coordinated the establishment of the Center for the Prevention of Violence Against the Police, in
addition to assisting with several other projects, committees, and initiatives.

Chief Sorukas served in the Southern District of California from 1986 to 1998, rising to the position of
Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal. Assignments in San Diego included supervision of the district
warrant squad and Coordinator for the Fugitive Group of the San Diego Violent Crime Task Force. In
1998, he transferred to USMS Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, where he served two years as
Senior Inspector within the Domestic Investigations Unit, before moving to the Technical Operations
Group, where he became the Chief Inspector in Chicago. Prior to becoming a Deputy Marshal, Chief
Sorukas was a police officer with the State of Indiana for nearly three years, following a brief
assignment as an undercover narcotics officer for the La Porte County (IN) Sheriff’s Department.

Chief Sorukas is a member of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Police Executive
Research Forum, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Sheriffs’ Association,
the International Association of Chiefs of Police, U.S. Marshals Service Association, and serves on the
Board of Directors for the U.S. Marshals Survivors Benefit Fund.