Founding Member
Lee Lerussi, C.E.O. / Director
Mr. Lee Lerussi began in 2013 as a contract instructor and Subject Matter Expert for the US State Department’s Global Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program and was engaged by various contractors who serviced the program. In 2022, after nearly ten years of success in the program, he founded LeeLand Consulting, Inc., to continue servicing the government and private sector companies, providing lectures, course deliveries, and mentorships. Mr. Lerussi is also an adjunct instructor for the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C).
Mr. Lerussi served as a Senior Special Agent in the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), retiring in 2021 after 23 years. Prior to joining the Bureau, Mr. Lerussi served for 14 years as a Peace Officer in his hometown as a member of the St. Clair Township Police Department. During his time with the department, he served in various positions, such as training officer, juvenile officer, firearms instructor, and on the county multi-jurisdictional Special Response Team. Mr. Lerussi continues to hold his commission and serves as a Deputy Sheriff (Reserve) in Ohio’s Columbiana County. Mr. Lerussi also served as an Instructor for the Ohio Peace Officer Basic Training Academy. In addition, Mr. Lerussi is also accredited by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST), and is certified by IADLEST as a National Instructor and as an International Instructor. His law enforcement career spans 38 years and counting.
Mr. Lerussi has attended training with the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists, achieving certification as an electronic evidence-collection specialist. He is also certified as an electronic-recovery specialist from the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and as an examiner from Guidance Software, Inc. In 2018, he received his certificate in Advanced Incident Response, Threat Hunting, and Digital Forensics from the SANS Institute. Additionally, he holds certifications as an operator and physical analyst from Cellebrite. Mr. Lerussi has attended continuing education and training courses, receiving certifications from the FBI, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program, the SANS Institute, NW3C, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.
In 2000, Mr. Lerussi was one of the original agents assigned to assist with developing the newly created Computer Crimes Unit (CCU) at BCI. He then transferred to BCI headquarters in London, Ohio. The new CCU was one of the first state cybercrime units in the United States. Subsequently, as the demand for the unit’s services expanded, he served as a Senior Special Agent in field offices in Richfield and Youngstown, both in Ohio, where he conducted high profile criminal investigations and digital forensic examinations.
A graduate of Heidelberg University, Mr. Lerussi holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He has completed graduate studies in psychology and counseling at Kent State University and Youngstown State University.
Mr. Lerussi was an invited speaker at the National Association of Attorneys General Conference on Advanced Cybercrime held in Oxford, Mississippi in 2007. Mr. Lerussi co-presented a lecture entitled “Computer Investigative Strategy and Techniques for Fraud Investigations” at the State of Ohio Auditor’s Conference in 2006, held in Columbus, Ohio. He has also presented workshops on the topics of investigations of computer crimes, conducting cyber-enabled investigations, internet-based crimes, and identifying cell phone evidence for the Chiefs of Police Association.
In 1990, Mr. Lerussi received an award for Valor from the Fraternal Order of Police while employed with the St. Clair Police Department. In 1991, he was awarded the State of Ohio Member of the Year Award by the Ohio State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police.
In 2012, Mr. Lerussi received the Ohio Distinguished Law Enforcement Group Achievement Award from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for his response to the Chardon school shooting in Chardon, Ohio. In 2009, Mr. Lerussi received the Meritorious Service Award from U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott of the Northern District of Ohio for the apprehension of a prison escapee and the recovery of the minor child kidnapped by the escapee during his flight.
Mr. Lerussi received a commendation from Mark Gwyn, the superintendent of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) citing his “diligence and professionalism” for assistance in the investigation concerning a nationally known celebrity involving charges of kidnapping and sexual assault. And, again in 2017 Mr. Lerussi received a second commendation from superintendent Gwyn of TBI for assistance in a high-profile homicide investigation and the resulting successful prosecution in the state of Tennessee.
In 2007, Mr. Lerussi received a commendation from Gerald Mack, Supervisory Agent in Charge, and Mitchell Marrone, Supervisory Senior Agent of the FBI’s Cleveland, Ohio office, for his investigative work and the subsequent arrest and conviction of a member of the National Constitutionalist Academy for the murder of a Massillon, Ohio, Police Officer. Prior to that, in 2000, Mr. Lerussi received a commendation from Ohio Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery for the lengthy investigation and successful prosecution of a subject for involuntary manslaughter, involving the death of a nursing home resident in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
In his tenure with BCI, Mr. Lerussi has received two superintendent’s commendations in 2013 and 2014, a Meritorious Unit Award in 2009, and nine letters of acknowledgment for successful investigations conducted during his 23 years with the bureau.