Interview with retired United States Customs Special Agent Bob Starkman
Years of Service: 1980-2018
Bob began his career in law enforcement in 1980 as a correctional officer at Greenhaven State Prison in New York. From there he worked for the NYC Sheriff's Office that he described as the worst job he ever had.
In 1982, Bob was hired as a U.S. Customs Patrol Officer before transferring to Miami and being promoted to Special Agent. Bob was in Miami during the Cocaine Wars and investigated high-level drug traffickers and worked on several large-scale money laundering cases including Operation Greenback.
During his career, Bob worked on the FIST Team, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the response group for Miami International Airport.
As busy as he was catching criminals, Bob started coaching basketball in 1997 and continued until 2018. During this period, Bob amassed a coaching record of 319-186, won 2 conference championships, coached 59 All-Americans, 8 All-State players, 5 All-Americans, and 2 Players of the Year. Bob was inducted into the FCCAA Hall of Fame as a coach and is the author of the book "Inside Both Courts". When asked how he managed to become a decorated law enforcement agent and a Hall of Fame coach and manage his time between the two careers, Bob said if "I knew that I'd be a millionaire".
