About Tracecraft

Dave Klimek is not an ordinary private investigator. He brings more than 27 years of combined public service to every engagement — including 20 years as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dallas Division, where he worked some of the most complex and consequential federal investigations in the country. His federal caseload spanned the full spectrum of serious crime: major fraud schemes involving losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars; complex financial crimes including bank fraud, mortgage fraud, and securities and investment fraud; government and healthcare fraud; public corruption; civil rights violations including color of law and hate crimes; violent crimes including bank robberies and murders; crimes against children including exploitation, abduction, and kidnapping; and human trafficking matters involving both labor and sex trafficking of minors and adults. Prior to his FBI career, he served as a Probation Officer — building the foundation of case discipline and human behavioral insight that would define his investigative approach for decades.

Dave holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Human Sciences with a Concentration in Psychology. That academic foundation was not incidental to his career — it was central to it. He drew on his education, training, and case management skills throughout his public service to build airtight cases against the subjects of his investigations, integrating behavioral analysis, evidentiary discipline, and methodical documentation into a single cohesive approach. The results speak for themselves: investigative work that survived scrutiny and challenge at the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, one of the most demanding federal appellate courts in the nation.

Within the FBI's Dallas Division, Dave served in roles that placed him at the highest levels of operational and instructional responsibility. He was a Principal Relief Squad Supervisor, the Division's Principal Defensive Tactics Instructor, a Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) Field Coordinator, and a Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) Certified Surveillance Operations Group (SOG) Agent with multiple interstate deployments. He has been recognized with numerous commendations and awards over the span of his career, is a prolific public speaker and subject matter expert across multiple investigative disciplines, and has consistently demonstrated a genuine commitment to victim advocacy in every professional endeavor he has undertaken.

Dave retired from federal service in February 2021 and immediately founded Tracecraft Special Investigations, LLC — bringing the same standards he applied to federal cases directly to private clients. Since then, he has taken on engagements that demand the highest level of investigative skill and professional judgment. In one landmark matter, he investigated a murder case and testified as a Qualified Expert Witness in a jury trial on the appropriate and reasonable use of deadly force. His testimony contributed directly to a just verdict and a full acquittal for a defendant who faced life in prison. The stakes do not get higher than that — and Dave met that standard.

He holds the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation through the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), is a Certified Forensic Interviewer — Forensic Testimony Evidence Recovery (CFI-FTER) and Certified Criminal Defense Specialist (CCDS) through the Criminal Defense Investigation Training Council (CDITC), and is licensed by the Texas Department of Public Safety — Private Security Bureau (TXDPS-PSB). He is qualified as an Expert Witness in both state and federal court, and currently serves as President of the North Texas Private Investigators Association (NTPIA).