Justin Gaertner, a resident of Florida’s Pasco County, joined the US Marine Corps straight out of high school and was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2010, he was severely injured by an improvised explosive device, in which he lost both his legs. But that did not stop him from fighting on the frontline. He is now a computer forensics analyst with Homeland Security Investigations and tracks tech evidence, social media history of culprits in child exploitation cases.
Sitting in front of computer screens, Gaertner examines hard drives, phones and other digital devices, searching for evidence tied to cases involving child exploitation, human trafficking and other crimes.
“We’ve arrested a police officer. We’ve arrested firefighters. Mayors. People of public trust,” he said. “For that instance, I was literally on scene, found the images and videos while the kids were right there in the living room,” Gaertner said.
Geek Squad
Gaertner calls his team the Geek Squad.
“We’ve arrested a police officer. We’ve arrested firefighters. Mayors. People of public trust,” he said. Recently, he cracked a case against an Oldsmar man accused of victimizing dozens of children, including his own.
“For that instance, I was literally on scene, found the images and videos while the kids were right there in the living room,” Gaertner said.
“I say that the Marines made me a man,” he said. “But in all reality, this — working for Homeland Security Investigations — this is where I was meant to be.”
More mentally hard
Gaertner said his current role is more mentally hard and more bearing as his days are all spent reviewing disturbing material. “It’s mentally hard and more bearing,” Gaertner said. “That’s why they pulled in the combat wounded veterans, because we have a certain mindset.”
Gaertner said in this digital age, nothing is ever truly deleted. “And if it is, we are going to end up finding it.”
