Chris Lester

A 30-year veteran of the FBI and a senior forensic examiner at CFS, Chris has decades of experience in digital forensics, e-discovery, and supporting criminal and civil litigations involving digital evidence. He has repeatedly testified as a computer expert in criminal and civil cases, transforming technical data into relatable, easy-to-comprehend testimony. In tandem, Chris has been a featured lecturer and public speaker, providing education and training in computer forensics.

While working for law enforcement, Chris worked with regulatory organizations such as the SEC and FINRA regarding allegations of securities fraud, assisted trustees in investigating Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcies, and partnered with Assistant United States Attorneys to investigate and successfully prosecute sophisticated investigations ranging from Intellectual Property Investigations to Vehicular Calamities involving cellular phone data and records. While employed as a Special Agent, he received hundreds of hours of training in disciplines including Detection of Altered Digital Photography, Forensic Video Analysis, Encryption and Applied Decryption, and Cellular Forensics.

At the FBI, Chris worked on high-profile cases, including Zacarias Moussaoui’s involvement in the 9/11 terror attacks and the Red Lake High School shooting investigation, which involved multiple teenage suspects and hundreds of computers. He examined digital media from counter-terrorism investigations, child pornography, white-collar crime, organized crime, civil rights, kidnappings, and thefts of intellectual property.

Chris was a founding member of the Minnesota Cyber Crimes Task Force and was the Acting Supervisory Special Agent for the Cyber Squad in the Minneapolis Division of the FBI. He taught at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, teaching new Computer Forensic Examiners standard operating procedures and techniques and Advanced Unix Techniques.

During his tenure with the FBI, Chris spent over five years on the Evidence Response Team (ERT), a team of special agents and professional support employees, trained to respond to large or sophisticated crime scenes to process evidence. In addition to the hundreds of hours of digital forensic training that Chris has received, he also received over 600 hours of advanced crime scene management training.