Biography
Fred Valis began his career in NYC as Security Director for the now defunct Eastern Airlines at Kennedy Airport. In 1971 Fred was recruited by John Mazzarella, a long time friend and retired CIA operative to join his investigative team to work undercover in a gun and drug smuggling operation in cooperation with the B.N.D.D. (Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, later to become the D.E.A.), and the A.T.F. (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms) branches of law federal enforcement. It was during those four years with Mr. Mazzarella, that Fred Valis learned his trade from that true Master Detective. In 1971, Valis moved from NYC to California in 1977, where he met 'Dan Hanks'. Within a year they had become lifelong friends. In 1978 BackStreet Investigations was founded by Fred Valis, and Dan Hanks came on board. During those early years, the company focused on the lucrative insurance business, and very quickly, BackStreet built a reputation as the "Surveillance Masters". During that period, Valis became an active member of C.A.L.I. ( the California Association of Licensed Investigators). Eventually he served as the District Governor, and later two terms as Director for the San Francisco District, chairing their Convention in 1981. Valis rekindled his long relationship with the United States Government in 1982, when Valis approached the Drug Enforcement Administration and he and Hanks went to work as contract operatives. He began to infiltrate various drug dealing operations in the San Francisco Bay Area. His efforts ultimately resulted in the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the San Francisco DEA office to that time. He continued to work as covert operative for the DEA all around the country, piling up arrests in New York, Baltimore, Miami, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and elsewhere. It was during this activity in Virginia, and Baltimore that Valis became unwittingly involved in the "drugs for guns" CIA-Contra operation, and their relationship with the DEA came to a halt. In 1988 he was recruited as undercover operative by the FBI on another Federal Investigation. He spent the next several years infiltrating the gambling arm of the Gambino Crime Family. Their Federal and State Grand Jury testimony ultimately resulted in the seizure of millions of dollars, and 27 convictions of known organized crime figures and their associates. Since 1991, Fred Valis has contracted his investigative Production and surveillance skills to produce television news and magazine show segments for Hard Copy (1989), A Current Affair (1986), "Inside Edition" (1988)_ & American Journal (1993). In 1994, after leaving Hard Copy as in-house investigator, He joined Dick Clark productions to co-create and produce a one hour special for NBC ("Caught in the Act"). Then along came O.J.! For the next two years, along with the rest of the world, He was caught up in the O. J. Simpson trial, providing the investigative expertise required by many news organizations, including the aforementioned shows, and such print publications as the New York Post, The National Enquirer, The Star, The London Daily Mail, and many others who were covering the case. Since 1996 Valis has continued to support various network and local news programs in Los Angeles and New York City, including, but not exclusively for Fox Files on the Fox New Network, Fox Channel 5 in New York City, KTTV Fox channel 11, and Extra in Los Angeles, contributing to many Emmy Award winning investigations, which continually aired on these shows. Most recently BackStreet performed all the investigations for a reality pilot with Nash Entertainment, and all the background investigations for the hit TV shows 'Popstars", and "The Mole" for Stone Stanly Productions Most recently, TBS has purchased Valis' life story rights, and is developing a series for television based on the exploits of Fred Valis and Danno Hanks. They have contracted George Gallo to write the first four scripts, and are planning the primer for the fall season of 2002.
