In her essay “The Cyber Sleuth,” Geraldine Brooks introduces Jarod Koopman, a multifaceted individual who serves as the Executive Director of Cyber and Forensics for the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division. Brooks begins by describing Koopman teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Hamburg, New York, demonstrating how this martial art allows a smaller person to overcome a larger opponent—a metaphor for his professional work tracking down powerful criminals through digital means.

The essay highlights how Koopman and his cybercrime team have achieved remarkable successes largely unknown to US citizens. Their accomplishments include rescuing numerous children from sexual abuse, seizing hundreds of thousands of child exploitation videos, arresting hundreds of alleged pedophiles, and intercepting cryptocurrency destined for terrorist organizations including Hamas, Al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State. Their work also led to the prosecution of Changpeng Zhao, head of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, for regulatory violations. Over a decade, the team has recovered more than $12 billion for crime victims and the US Treasury.

Brooks contrasts these achievements with the negative public perception of the IRS, noting that even the IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel acknowledges the agency’s unpopularity. She explains how anti-tax sentiment led to budget cuts that reduced the IRS workforce to levels not seen since the 1970s, despite population growth and increased tax filings. The agency struggled with outdated technology and accumulated backlogs of paper returns, resulting in poor service. IRS criminal investigators, comprising just 3% of IRS personnel, became particular targets for critics: Some politicians and media figures characterizing them as dangerous threats to average citizens.

The essay provides background on Koopman’s upbringing in New York’s Finger Lakes region in a family with military and police traditions. A talented lacrosse player and mathematics student, Koopman attended Nazareth University in Rochester on an athletic scholarship, majoring in accounting. Brooks portrays his home life with his wife Carly, a middle school English teacher, and their two teenagers, emphasizing his diverse interests including wine collecting, hunting, and vintage car restoration. Koopman discovered his career path when a fellow accounting student described accompanying IRS agents on a raid. After graduating in 2001, he joined the IRS and initially handled white-collar crimes like investment fraud. Despite initially resisting management roles, he found satisfaction in leadership positions that allowed him to support other agents in their investigations.

Around 2012, Koopman and agent Chris Janczewski began exploring cryptocurrency, purchasing Bitcoin to understand its mechanics. Brooks explains cryptocurrency’s idealistic origins following the 2008 financial crisis and its functioning as a decentralized financial system. However, while Bitcoin enabled transactions without third-party intervention, it also attracted criminals seeking to hide illicit activities.

The essay details several significant cases. In one, agent Gary Alford uncovered the identity of “Dread Pirate Roberts,” creator of the dark web marketplace Silk Road, by finding early internet posts that revealed his email address. In another case involving a child exploitation website called “Welcome to Video,” agents discovered the server location through an unmasked IP address in the site’s code, leading to the arrest of its operator and hundreds of users, as well as the rescue of children being abused.

In addition, Brooks describes how the team intercepted cryptocurrency donations intended for terrorist organizations by secretly taking over their donation websites. Another major case involved the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which operated without proper regulatory oversight, facilitating money laundering for criminals and sanctioned entities. After years of investigation, Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program, receiving a prison sentence and paying a substantial fine, while Binance paid one of the largest criminal settlements in history.

The essay concludes by discussing the challenges Koopman faces in retaining talented staff who can earn significantly more in the private sector. Despite this, Koopman remains committed to public service. Brooks notes that even at a cybersecurity conference, few attendees knew about the IRS’s role in fighting cybercrime, yet Koopman sees advantages in operating below the radar, allowing him to continue his work quietly dismantling criminal enterprises.