\n<\/p>\n
As part of<\/span> the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a former Tesla employee has been installed as a senior adviser to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, records shared with The Intercept show.<\/p>\n Tarak Makecha, who previously worked at Elon Musk\u2019s electric car company, now has roles at both the FBI and the Justice Department\u2019s Justice Management Division, according to staff lists.<\/p>\n At the FBI, the records show Makecha is a \u201csenior advisor\u201d to the agency\u2019s executive assistant director for human resources. At the Justice Management Division, he is listed as an \u201cadvisor\u201d to the office of the chief information officer, which oversees IT and cybersecurity for the department.<\/p>\n According to a DOJ source, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, Makecha\u2019s work at the Justice Department has focused in part on the department\u2019s grant-making operations, which DOGE recently leveraged to target a criminal justice nonprofit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Musk\u2019s DOGE squad has swept through federal agencies swiftly, gutting targets like the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and gaining access to sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration and IRS.<\/p>\n Musk has entrusted this work to a secretive crew, whose members often have ties to his own private ventures, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X. The records shared with The Intercept fill in gaps about Makecha and two other DOGE operatives assigned to the Justice Department, where their aim remains unknown.<\/p>\n Makecha, the FBI, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Intercept\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n Since the start of President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, Makecha has reportedly worked for DOGE at other federal agencies<\/a>, including the Federal Communications Commission<\/a>, the State Department, and the Office of Personnel Management.<\/p>\n Until January, he worked as chief financial officer for a drone detection technology company, according to his LinkedIn profile<\/a>. From 2017 to 2019, Makecha worked in various role in Tesla\u2019s Bay Area offices, most recently as head of strategic planning for Tesla Energy.<\/p>\n The DOJ source told The Intercept that Makecha likely started working at DOJ at the end of March, focusing at least partly on the Office of Justice Programs \u2014 one of the DOJ\u2019s grant-making components.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, DOGE targeted<\/a> one of the Justice Department\u2019s nonprofit grantees: the Vera Institute of Justice, a criminal justice reform group. Two DOGE staffers \u2014 Nate Cavanaugh, previously a tech entrepreneur, and Justin Aimonetti, one of several attorneys<\/a> working for DOGE \u2014 demanded a meeting \u201cto discuss getting a DOGE team assigned\u201d to the Vera Institute, according to emails<\/a> released by the nonprofit.<\/p>\n During a 20-minute phone call, the DOGE duo explained a plan to install DOGE teams at \u201cevery institute or agency that has congressional monies appropriated to it,\u201d according to the Vera Institute. DOGE backed down<\/a> after the Vera Institute explained that the Justice Department had recently terminated all of the Vera Institute\u2019s grants. The Vera Institute apparently also had to explain to DOGE\u2019s attorney the difference between nonprofit entities established by Congress and nonprofits like it that simply receive federal funding through grants.<\/p>\n Agency records do not list either Cavanaugh or Aimonetti as DOJ employees. The Vera Institute said Makecha was not on any of the calls or emails its staff had with DOGE.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n