Meet our Team of Investigators

The Bureau Group is an alliance of retired FBI Special Agents and retired command officers from the Michigan State Police and West Michigan County Sheriff’s Offices. These investigators have conducted and led complex investigations throughout the State of Michigan, across the United States, and around the globe. The Bureau Group is composed of retired law enforcement officials who hail from West Michigan and share the values of the region. The Bureau Group has the ability to provide a wide range of investigative, security, and training services for corporations and/or individuals on a local or an international level. No other investigative firm in West Michigan has this capability.

You also know who you are hiring when you hire the Bureau Group. Our pictures and experiences are listed on our website because we believe our experience levels and our expertise are what set us far apart from other investigative agencies.

Tony Aubermann

Coloma, MI
Ph: 772-913-5280
anthonyaubermann@thebureaugroup.com

Anthony “Tony” Aubermann is a retired FBI Special Agent with over 30 years of service to the FBI. Mr. Aubermann worked as a Special Agent in Detroit, Dallas, and most recently in St. Joseph, MI. He also served as a Supervisory Special Agent at FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C. in the Intellectual Property Rights Section. During his career, Mr. Aubermann specialized in fraud and embezzlement cases, organized crime investigations, cyber-crime investigations, and crimes against children cases. As a Special Agent, Mr. Aubermann founded and coordinated the Dallas Metroplex Health Care Fraud Task Force and he also led two FBI Major Cases that were directed at national white-collar crime targets. During his time in the St. Joseph FBI Office, Mr. Aubermann led the Benton Harbor, MI, Gang Task Force and he served as the FBI Crimes Against Children Coordinator for West Michigan. He was awarded the “Case of the Year” by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Michigan for an investigation that resulted in the dismantlement of a drug cartel operation in Southwestern Michigan. He also received an award from the Chicago Police Department for his work on a high-profile triple homicide case. Mr. Aubermann was also certified as an FBI Undercover Agent. Mr. Aubermann graduated Cum Laude from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a major in Accounting. He is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Marty Vander Vliet

Ada, MI
Ph: 616-676-9206
martyvandervliet@thebureaugroup.com

Marty Vander Vliet retired in November 2016 after 26 years as an FBI Special Agent assigned to the Detroit and Grand Rapids FBI Offices. While assigned to Detroit, Mr. Vander Vliet worked bank robberies, violent crimes, and narcotics cases. He also worked as an Undercover Agent. Mr. Vander Vliet is an FBI-certified Technical Agent. As a Tech Agent, he was responsible for the installation of the most cutting-edge electronic surveillance devices, which included cameras, microphones, telephone wiretaps, GPS trackers, and other devices. Mr. Vander Vliet was selected to receive highly specialized training in Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (TSCM), more commonly referred to as “sweeps”, and he has done TSCM examinations of FBI facilities throughout Michigan, the United States, and at US Embassies around the world. Mr. Vander Vliet is a graduate of Calvin College and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He is a member of the state and federal bars of Wisconsin, and he is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Steven Crumb

Holland, MI
616-481-0751
stevencrumb@thebureaugroup.com

Steve Crumb retired from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office in 2005. During his 25 year career with the Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Crumb served as a detective and as the command officer in charge of the department’s Investigative Services Division. Mr. Crumb investigated or oversaw numerous investigations concerning complex financial crimes and fraudulent activities. Mr. Crumb also participated in a number of multi-jurisdictional investigations involving state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies. Upon his retirement from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Crumb was selected to be the Manager of Investigations and Risk Services for Amway Corporation, a position he held for over 11 years. In this assignment, he oversaw highly confidential, sensitive, and complex investigations on a global level. Additionally, Mr. Crumb was responsible for pre-employment screening and the investigations of threats directed toward Amway, as well as workplace violence training. He also directed and controlled the administration of credit card fraud investigations and related responsibilities, to include overseeing the case management of investigations involving Workers Compensation claims. In addition, Mr. Crumb worked with Amway’s Special Events in coordinating and managing security for global events involving the company’s 3 million-plus distributors. He retired from Amway in June 2017. Mr. Crumb is a Certified Fraud Examiner. He is also a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He earned his Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice and Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and he is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Kenneth (Ken) Colby

Kalamazoo, MI
Ph: 269-217-6668
kennethcolby@thebureaugroup.com

Ken Colby spent over 41 years in federal and state law enforcement as an Investigator. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Western Michigan University. Mr. Colby has served as a Special Deputy United States Marshal, the Chief of Police for Kalamazoo Valley Community College, a Major for the Kalamazoo Public Safety Department, and as a Captain in the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office. Mr. Colby has an extensive background in undercover operations at both the federal and state levels. His investigative experience includes major crimes, fraud, larceny, internal investigations, and vehicle identification. Mr. Colby has experience in school security audits, active shooter training and the development of threat assessment teams. He is a certified police instructor who has taught nationally and who has authored training manuals. He is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

William (Bill) Blynn

Grand Haven, MI
Ph: 616-502-2532
williambylnn@thebureaugroup.com

Bill Blynn has been involved in law enforcement since 1972. Mr. Blynn began his career as a Crime Scene Investigator/Latent Fingerprint Examiner with the Miami Dade Public Safety Department in Florida. Mr. Blynn began his career with the FBI in Washington, DC, and he has also been assigned as a Special Agent to the FBI’s St. Louis Office and the New York City Office. Mr. Blynn took a transfer to the Grand Rapids office of the FBI in 1995. Over the course of his career, Mr. Blynn has conducted a wide variety of investigations to include surveillance operations, fugitive investigations, bank robbery investigations, kidnapping investigations, white collar crime cases, and wire fraud investigations. He also has specialized training in installing and detecting various covert devices to include cameras, microphones, and global positioning systems (GPS). Mr. Blynn retired from the FBI in 2010. Mr. Blynn is an FBI-certified Police Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and SWAT Agent. He also has provided training in identifying fingerprints and crime scene processing. He is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Gerard (Jerry) Alexander

Kalamazoo, MI
Ph: 269-271-0440
gerardalexander@thebureaugroup.com

Gerard B. Alexander is a graduate of the American University in Washington D.C. He is also a veteran of the United States Army, having served as a military police officer. Mr. Alexander retired from the FBI after over 30 years. Mr. Alexander served as an FBI Special Agent in several cities around the country, however, the majority of his career was spent in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he served as the Senior Resident Agent. Mr. Alexander has been involved in numerous FBI investigations to include white collar crimes, violent crimes, crimes against children and the elderly, crimes against corporations, and crimes against federal/local governments. Mr. Alexander is an FBI-certified Hostage Negotiator, who has successfully negotiated several grave situations. He has lectured at several crime seminars for corporations, financial institutions, and civic organizations. Mr. Alexander is also an FBI-certified Police Instructor and he is currently an instructor at a West Michigan Police Academy. He is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Michael Heffron

East Grand Rapids, MI
Ph: 616-901-7796
MHeffron5@gmail.com

Mike Heffron recently retired from the FBI with 27 years investigative and coordinator experience. Mr. Heffron served as an FBI Special Agent in the Minneapolis and Detroit Divisions, and at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mr. Heffron has extensive experience in white collar crime, extortions, kidnapping, fugitives, and surveillance investigations. Mr. Heffron was individually selected on two separate occasions to be part of an elite group that targeted terrorism matters in Afghanistan. While in Afghanistan, Mr. Heffron worked directly with US and NATO special forces military units and intelligence agencies. He was also chosen for a third rotation to assist in the creation of the FBI’s overseas personnel recovery plan due to his extensive knowledge of the Afghanistan theater of operations. He holds FBI certifications as a Police Instructor, SWAT Operator, Tactical Instructor, and Firearms Instructor. He has been assigned to the protective details of both the US Attorney General and FBI Director and he has twice been assigned to provide firearms instruction at FBI Headquarters. A native of West Michigan, he graduated from Aquinas College with a degree in business administration and accounting. He is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Roy Johnson

Grand Rapids, MI
Ph: 269-208-5217
royjohnson@thebureaugroup.com

Roy Johnson founded and created The Bureau Group in the Fall of 2010 and still remains the Managing Partner. Johnson has over 30 years of experience in Federal and State law enforcement as a senior investigator and also as a manager. He is a graduate of Indiana State University with a Masters of Science in Personnel Administration and Educational Psychology. Mr. Johnson’s key skills lie in leading investigations of sophisticated organizations, uncovering facts through interview or interrogations and analyzing facts to lead to the resolution of the investigation. He is an FBI-certified police instructor and has developed expertise in crisis management and the behavioral sciences. Johnson was also the Field Coordinator for the FBI in Michigan for more than 20 years, working with the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime in Quantico, Virginia, that addressed significant violent crimes throughout the United States. Those cases often involved extreme violent crimes, or unusual and unsolved matters that relied on criminal profiles and assessments, which then provided assistance to law enforcement in their respective jurisdictions. Upon his retirement from the FBI after serving in Southwestern Michigan, Johnson moved to Washington D.C. and worked as the Special Agent in Charge for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). This unique agency reported to both the Secretary of Defense and Department of State, conducting oversight reviews and investigations which were related to the combined U.S. efforts in Iraq and the Middle East. Since September of 2010, he continues to be a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Ronald L. Neil

Hastings, MI
Ph: 616-240-1937
ronaldneil@thebureaugroup.com

Ron Neil founded Lair Investigations, LLC, in 1998 after serving 26 years with the Michigan Department of State Police (MSP). During his career with the MSP, he held the ranks of Trooper Investigator, Detective Sergeant, and First Lieutenant. He retired as the Post Commander of the Hastings, MI Post. While with the State Police he was assigned to various MSP Posts across the State, as well as being assigned to the MSP’s Organized Crime Unit and the Michigan Attorney General Office, Criminal Division. In these units, Mr. Neil became well-schooled in the areas of both overt and covert surveillances and high level white collar crimes. He has testified in hundreds of criminal and civil cases at all levels of both state and federal courts. Mr. Neil is a licensed professional investigator in the State of Michigan.

Hire the Best

The Bureau Group is the premier private investigative firm in West Michigan. For investigative matters outside of your state or the United States of America, The Bureau Group’s vast network of retired FBI Agents and our connections with foreign law enforcement graduates of the FBI National Academy make The Bureau Group the logical choice for your needs. Our experience speaks for itself.

* Use of the seal for the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI and the National Academy in no way are an endorsement of the Bureau Group. Bureau Group personnel are proud members of these associations.