I Was A New York ATF Agent For 20 Years

Eric Immesberger spent over 20 years as a New York ATF agent, starting as a Brooklyn detective before breaking into federal law enforcement and spending two decades working undercover, dismantling gun-trafficking networks, taking down violent criminals, and operating inside some of the most dangerous environments in the country. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares the real stories behind that career — the high-risk federal operations, the major crime investigations, the confidential informants, the gunfights, the chases, and the explosive cases that defined 20 years of hunting armed offenders in New York. He also opens up about the psychological toll of undercover work, the violence he witnessed, the personal sacrifices the job required, and what finally walking away after two decades actually cost him. #ATFAgent #FederalAgent #LawEnforcementStories #CrimeInterview #UndercoverOperations #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeSystem #lockedinpodcast Thanks to AURA FRAMES, BLUECHEW & PRIZEPICKS for sponsoring this episode: Aura Frames: Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/LOCKEDIN. Promo Code LOCKEDIN BlueChew: Get 10% off your first month of BlueChew Gold with code LOCKEDIN. Visit https://bluechew.com/ for more details and important safety information Prizepicks: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/IA... and use code IANBICK and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! Connect with Eric Immesberger: Website: https://www.ericimmesberger.com/ Support his wood work business:   / sendit_woodworking   Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?h... https://ianbick.com/ Timestamps: 00:00 The 20 Year New York ATF Agent Who Went Undercover and Finally Tells the Truth About Federal Law Enforcement 03:30 His Early Career and What Entering Law Enforcement From the Ground Up Actually Required 10:00 Growing Up Hard, the Discipline That Came From It, and the Survival Lessons That Preceded Everything 15:00 Why He Became a Cop, the Influences That Shaped That Decision, and What His Education Involved 22:00 Becoming a Detective and What the Path From College to the Brooklyn DA's Office Actually Looked Like 27:00 Federal Guidelines and Cooperation, and What the Decisions That Change Lives Look Like From the Inside 36:00 Confidential Informants, the Gray Area Between Justice and Survival, and What Working With CIs Involves 45:00 What He Saw Inside Federal Prison — the Chaos, the Power Dynamics, and the Unspoken Rules 01:01:00 The Undercover Operations and the Wild Prison Stories That Came Out of Years in the Most Dangerous Environments 01:14:00 Breaking Into the ATF — the Obsession, the Rejection, and the Relentless Drive That Eventually Got Him In 01:22:00 The Explosive Federal Case Known as the House of Gay Home Invasion and What That Investigation Looked Like 01:38:00 Entrapment Versus Real Criminals and What the ATF Case-Building Process Actually Involves From the Inside 01:47:00 The Gunfights, the Chases, and What Leadership Under Fire Actually Requires of a Federal Agent 02:08:00 The Violent World of Federal Law Enforcement — the Mental Toll, the Trauma, and What Two Decades Produces 02:24:00 Walking Away — the Retirement, the Burnout, and the True Cost of 20 Years Inside the ATF 02:34:00 His Final Reflections on Street Lessons, Storytelling, and What He Wants People to Understand