The US Marine, who lost his legs in Afghanistan, is now catching child abusers from his computer with his “obsessive” team of digital forensics experts.
Justin Gaertner, a resident of Pasco County, Florida, joined the US Marine Corps straight out of high school and was deployed to Afghanistan. In 2010, he was seriously injured by an explosive device, losing both his legs.
But that did not prevent him from fighting on the front line. He is now a computer forensics analyst for Homeland Security Investigations and tracks the technical leads and social media histories of perpetrators in child exploitation cases. Sitting in front of computer screens, Gartner scans hard drives, phones and other digital devices, looking for evidence linked to issues related to child exploitation, human trafficking and other crimes.“We arrested a police officer. We arrested firefighters. Mayors. People who enjoy the public’s trust,” he said. “In this case, I was literally at the scene and found the photos and videos while the kids were there in the living room,” Gaertner said.
Geek squad
Gartner calls his team the Geek Squad. “We arrested a police officer. We arrested firefighters. Mayors. People who enjoy the public’s trust,” he said. Recently, he filed a case against an Oldsmar man accused of victimizing dozens of children, including his own.
“In this case, I was literally at the scene and found the photos and videos while the kids were there in the living room,” Gaertner said.“I say the Marines made me a man,” he said. “But really, this — working for Homeland Security Investigations — is where I was meant to be.”
More difficult mentally
Gartner said his current role is more mentally challenging and more stressful as he spends all his days reviewing disturbing material. “It’s mentally tougher and more endurable,” Gaertner said. “That’s why they pull out wounded veterans, because we have a certain mentality.”In this digital age, nothing is ever deleted, Gartner said. “And if that’s the case, we’ll end up finding him.”
