Jim Rathmann (investigator)

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For the Indianapolis 500 winner, see Jim Rathmann (racing driver).
Jim Rathmann
Born (1979-03-04) March 4, 1979 (age 45)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Investigator, television personality, Army veteran, former law enforcement officer, United States Secret Service agent, former college football player.
Years active1999 - present
Known forThe lead investigator in the Investigation Discovery documentary Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies & Cover-Up
Websitejimrathmannthecompany.com

Jim Rathmann (born March 4, 1979) is an American investigator, television personality, Army veteran, and former law enforcement officer, United States Secret Service agent, and college football player. He is known for being the lead investigator in the Investigation Discovery documentary Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies & Cover-Up.[1][2][3][4]

Rathmann served with the 82nd Airbone Division and received a Bronze Star for valor in combat.[5] As a Secret Service agent, he served under President Barack Obama’s administration.[6]

Rathmann played college football at Louisiana State University. He was a member of the LSU Tigers team that won the BCS National Championship at the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl.[5][7]

Early life and education[edit]

Rathmann grew up in Boca Raton, Florida.[8] He attended Boca Raton High School.[8] After his military service, he attended Louisiana State University.[8][7][5]

Military service[edit]

Rathmann’ first tenure in the U.S. Army was from 1999 to 2003, during which he achieved the rank of Sergeant.[5] After attending Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 2008, and he served as an Infantry Platoon Leader with the 508th Infantry Regiment in Fort Bragg.[5] From 2009 to 2010, he served as a platoon leader for the 82nd Airborne Division after being deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan.[5] Rathmann eventually achieved the rank of Captain and was awarded the Bronze Star in combat.[5][9]

Football career[edit]

Rathmann played for the LSU Tigers in 2003 and 2004 as a safety, slot receiver, and kick returner.[5][7]

He played under the tutelage of coaches Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher, and Will Muschamp.[7] With the Tigers, he won the 2003 season’s BCS National Championship at the 2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl.[5][10][7]

Career[edit]

Rathmann served as a deputy of the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s office.[11][12][13]

Rathmann worked as a Secret Service agent mostly under President Barack Obama.[5][6] He has also provided security for then-Vice President Joe Biden and presidential candidate Mitt Romney and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan.[6]

In 2016, Rathmann was hired as an defensive backs coach for the Legacy High Eagles.[7] By 2018, he was still with the team as an assistant coach.[10]

Rathmann co-owned/hosted the true-crime podcast Real Life, Real Crime in 2019.[13] Sheriff Jason Ard partnered with the podcast to investigate the disappearance of Livingston Parish resident Barbara Blount in 2020.[11] In the same year, Rathmann began investigating the disappearance of Don Lewis, which had been discussed in the Netflix documentary series Tiger King, which centered on Joe Exotic and his conflict with Lewis’s former wife, Carole Baskin.[14][15]

Following his investigation into this topic, Rathmann was chosen to be the lead investigator in the documentary Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies & Cover Up.[1][2][3][16] He employed methods such as cadaver dogs to gather new information about Lewis’s disappearance.[17][4][18] Rathmann also submitted the new evidence he gathered for the documentary to the White House for consideration of a presidential pardon for Joe Exotic.[2][19][4] The program premiered on Investigation Discovery in September 2020.[16][20] Rathmann discussed his work on the documentary on television news programs such as The AM Show[21] and Good Morning America.[22] He also discussed the documentary on local news networks such as Chicago’s WGN9,[23] Nashville’s News Channel 5,[24] and San Antonio’s KENS5.[25]

In June 2021, Rathmann served as a guest speaker at the true crime convention CrimeCon 2021.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Tiger King 'sequel' features startling claim about Carole Baskin's ex-husband". The Independent. 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  2. ^ a b c "New evidence presented to White House to support pardon of 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  3. ^ a b c "What this former Secret Service agent learned investigating 'Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies & Cover-up'". East Idaho News. 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  4. ^ a b c Young, Julius (2020-09-28). "Cadaver dogs to search Carole Baskin's missing husband Don Lewis' lake house, ex-detective says". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "LSU Military Museum - LSU Athletes On Fields of Valor". olewarskule.lsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  6. ^ a b c "Former Secret Service agent explains how agency leads all inauguration security efforts". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Defensive backs coach brings championship pedigree to Legacy -- Observer Preps". West Orange Times & Observer. 2016-09-22. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  8. ^ a b c "Jim Rathmann's schedule for CrimeCon 2021". crimecon2021.sched.com. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  9. ^ "LSU unveils expanded Military Museum". BRProud.com. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  10. ^ a b "Legacy duo are program's first Division II signees | Observer Preps". West Orange Times & Observer. 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  11. ^ a b "Sheriff Jason Ard announces partnership with 'Real Life, Real Crime' podcast to investigate Barbara Blount case". The Livingston Parish News. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  12. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Former colleague and friend of deputy accused of more than 60 child sex crimes speaks out". BRProud.com. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  13. ^ a b writer, EMMA KENNEDY | Staff (2020-01-20). "Former Livingston Parish deputies find cult following in true crime podcast detailing local cases". The Advocate. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  14. ^ "Louisiana crime podcast investigating death of Don Lewis, featured on hit Netflix series "Tiger King"". BRProud.com. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  15. ^ "Real Life Real Crime to jump into realm of 'Tiger King' - investigate disappearance of Don Lewis". The Livingston Parish News. 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  16. ^ a b Maclean, Amy (2020-09-25). "Tiger King Roars Again at ID". Cablefax. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  17. ^ "Where is Tampa's missing 'Tiger King' millionaire?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  18. ^ Cunningham, Taylor (2023-04-15). "'Tiger King's Carole Baskin's Home to be Searched by Private Investigator, Cadaver Dogs". Outsider. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  19. ^ "Joe Exotic: New evidence was part of pardon application presented to White House". CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR. 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  20. ^ September 28, EW Staff; EDT, 2020 at 06:00 AM. "What to Watch on Monday: It's Disney night once again on 'Dancing With the Stars'". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "New documentary looks at Tiger King investigation". Newshub. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  22. ^ America, Good Morning. "Memorial Day 2023: Save 23% on Apple AirPods, 35% off mattresses and more hot deals". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  23. ^ "Where is Carol Baskin's husband? 'Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies and Cover-Up'". WGN-TV. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  24. ^ "Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies & Cover-Up". News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF). 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  25. ^ "GREAT DAY SA: ID Channel Launches Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies, and Cover Up". kens5.com. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
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