10th Annual Fraud &
Computer Crimes Seminar

May 26-27, 2009

Ruth Eckerd Hall
1111 McMullen Booth Road
Clearwater, Florida 33579

Tampa Police Explorer's Color Guard

Speaker Topics and Biographies

(Click on highlighted topics to download presentations.)

"Postal Inspectors – Fighting Mail Fraud Since 1872"

Inspector Walker will discuss a brief history of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the types of investigations they work with an emphasis on mail fraud investigations.  Learn about the mail fraud statute and the creative ways it has been applied.  She will also discuss the direction the Inspection Service is heading with regards to future mail fraud investigations.

Linda J. Walker
Postal Inspector
United States Postal Inspection Service

Postal Inspector Linda Walker is with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, whose mission is to protect the U.S. Postal Service, secure the nation's mail system, and ensure public trust in the mail.  Linda has been a federal agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service since 1994.  She holds a degree in Business Administration from Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC.  Originally from North Carolina, Linda spent three years in the U.S. Army before going to work for the United States Postal Service in 1990.  She has worked a variety of cases involving internal and external crime, including mail theft, credit card fraud, and identity theft and child exploitation.  She recently spent four months representing the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at the Department of Justice Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Fusion Center located in Fairfax, Virginia.

"Disbarred Lawyer Turned Mail Thief!"

Inspector Doug Smith will provide a Case Study of a case involving mail theft and identity theft by a lawyer, no less!  Learn the innovative ways this attorney stole mail, obtained personal identifiers of his mail theft victims, and turned that information into a bunch of stolen loot for himself and his co-conspirator.

Doug Smith
Postal Inspector
United States Postal Inspection Services

Postal Inspector Doug Smith has been with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service since 2001.  Doug obtained a Criminal Justice degree from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts where he was born and raised.  Prior to joining the Inspection Service, Doug spent 11 years with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.  Doug worked as a patrol deputy before being promoted to detective were he worked a variety of assignments including street crimes and narcotics.  During his tenure as a sheriff’s detective, Doug worked a case with a Postal Inspector and decided to pursue a career with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  He has worked a variety of assignments with the Inspection Service and currently supervises a team of fraud inspectors.

"Mortgage Fraud - Case Study"

The investigation involved six companies and approximately 20 individuals that were involved in construction fraud and mortgage fraud.  From 2003 to 2005, these individuals also had three representatives with a major sub-prime lender that were assisting in getting the fraudulent loans approved and funded. The mortgages submitted and funded totaling over $47 million. The case study will cover from the initial complaint to the end results and all of the problems encountered along the way.

Ellen S. Wilcox, CFE
Special Agent
Florida Department of Law Enforcement

Ellen Wilcox has worked as a Special Agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) since 1980.  Her responsibilities include developing, investigating and preparing for the prosecution of complex, organized criminal activity.  Ms. Wilcox is a Certified Fraud Examiner who has extensive experience investigating white collar crimes, including racketeering, organized fraud, political corruption, money laundering, real estate fraud, insurance fraud, and crimes involving mortgages and/or banks.  For two years, she was assigned to the Bank Fraud Joint Task Force headquartered at the FBI Field Office in Tampa, Florida.  She has taught for the Center for Advanced Law Enforcement Studies (CALES) and the FDLE Academy, and currently teaches a financial crimes class based on a mortgage fraud investigation for the National White Collar Crime Center.   Her areas of expertise are money laundering, real estate investigations, financial investigations, mortgage fraud investigations, public record research and asset searches.  For three years, Ms. Wilcox was in charge of an asset forfeiture unit responsible for researching real estate, finding hidden assets and setting up a tracking system for state and federal forfeitures.  Ms. Wilcox is currently assigned to the FBI Mortgage Fraud Task Force in Tampa, FL.

Ms. Wilcox graduated in 1980 from Stetson University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting.  She has also completed graduate courses in Management Information Systems from the University of South Florida, Tampa.  In 1990, Ms. Wilcox attended Internal Revenue Service Special Agent Training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA.  Ms. Wilcox has been a Certified Fraud Examiner since 1997 and in 2004 received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the National Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  Ms. Wilcox has served on the Tampa Bay CFE board as a Director, President (2001-2002) and currently as Secretary.

In 2008, Ms. Wilcox was awarded Special Agent of the Year for FDLE.  In 2009, Ms. Wilcox was one of 13 law enforcement officers in the State of Florida nominated for the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award.  Ms. Wilcox has also been nominated for the Florida State Law Enforcement Chiefs’ Association (SLECA) Officer of the Year award.

George B Tselentis, CISM
Sr. Technology Security Auditor
Independent Contract for National and International Corporations

As a Senior Security Auditor, George Tselentis has deployed new technology, and developed and deployed IT plans that achieved strategic business and financial goals.  He is experienced in Security – Risk – Control – Attack & Penetration (Physical/Technology) – Audit – Governance – IT Business – Trainer ASTD – Network Operations Management – Project Management Institute Skill Sets – Business Analysis – Intelligence.  Since 2004, Tselentis has successfully worked on more than a dozen Sarbanes Oxley engagements.  Tselentis has extensive experience in security systems analysis, disaster recovery, and business continuity.  Projects have included IT operations, business intelligence, security and technology audits, including vulnerability assessments of nuclear weapons systems.  He has worked with local, state and federal authorities in dealing with intrusions and "attack scenarios.”  Areas covered included privacy processes that relate to the following: logical security, physical security surveys, company privacy policies, and Internet security.  These engagements have included private sector, local, state, and federal government.

Conducted numerous security audits and security consulting projects at Fortune 500 companies.  His professional career includes having been engaged or employed by World-Com, MFS Network Technologies, Mutual Protective Insurance Company, FBI, First Data Resources, Trailerbridge, V-Finance, Pinkerton Inc., AFLAC, Microsoft Corporation, Cutter & Buck, NASD, Con Agra, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Navy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The American Stock Exchange, State of Iowa, City of Omaha, Northrop Grumman, American Republic Insurance Company and Tele2 of Luxembourg.

Developed large-scale and medium-sized e-commerce systems that have included B2B systems as well as partnership sites designed for business development.  Areas of expertise include, IT Audit (COBIT, COSO), IT Security – Fraud, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, Patriot Act, Risk Analysis – Security Asset Location and Recovery, NERC, HIPAA, FERPA compliance, OMB 123, FISMA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) compliance, SAS-70 Team member, NIST – 800 series security criteria, OCC – Office of Comptroller of Cash Technology Security Reviews, State Insurance Commission reviews, Rule 26 E-Discovery issues and security surveys.  The scope of many of these engagements has included the issues of risk-control-security and privacy issues.

"Successful Prosecution of Identity Theft"

This presentation will include what identity theft is, how to investigate these cases, and how to prevent being a vicitim.

Sheri Aprile Maxim
Assistant State Attorney
State Attorney's Office

Sheri Maxim is a lead trial attorney in the Economic Crime Unit in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.  Sheri has an LLM in International Law and Business from Stetson College of Law.  Sheri has been a prosecutor for five and a half years in Hillsborough County. She began her career in the Domestic Violence Unit and then proceeded to a Misdemeanor and Traffic division. A year later, she began prosecuting felony cases, and now handles complex thefts, frauds, and racketeering charges. 

Michael Lennon
Assistant State Attorney
State Attorney's Office

Michael Lennon graduated from Florida State University College of Law in May of 2001.  Michael has been an attorney since September 12, 2001, and first began prosecuting in Jackson County, FL.  Michael remained in Jackson County for two years before moving to the Tampa Bay Area.  In Tampa, he was a criminal defense attorney for approximately 2 years before joining the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office where he has been for approximately 5 years, 2 of which in the ECU.  In the ECU, Michael prosecuted several identify theft cases involving mortgage fraud and employee embezzlement.

"INSIDE THE DIRTY BANKS THAT LAUNDER BILLIONS
FOR THE UNDERWORLD"

INTRODUCTION

• Crime is a business – Follow the money (Miami Vice video)

WHAT IS MONEY LAUNDERING

• Define Money Laundering

• Explain why money laundering prosecutions are an Achilles heel for most fraudsters (It’s not just a tool against drug money)

INSIDE DRUG CARTELS (How I infiltrated and what they taught me)

• (Video - NBC Nightly News Broadcast)

• Explain how an undercover operation can access the highest levels of the drug & money laundering world

• The “Black Market Peso Exchange” – Who participates, how does it operate, and how it affects US businesses?

• Identify unique features of checks sold by Black Market Peso Brokers and how they end up in the accounts of major corporations.

• Explain the “Reintegros” method of laundering drug profits earned in the US.

HOW BANKERS, LAWYERS & OTHER PROFESSIONALS LAUNDER UNDERGROUND FORTUNES

• What is “Willful Blindness” – (Don’t tell me or I’ll have to say no.)

• Explain the importance of the corporate motive (Vicarious Liability)

• Discuss why companies need a real anti-money laundering plan
  (It’s not patriotism, it’s survival)

• Identify the types of businesses typically involved in money laundering

• Explain institutional money laundering schemes

LAW ENFORCEMENT WEAPONS IN THE WAR ON DRUGS (How and why their hands are tied)

• Identify statues most often used to prosecute money launderers (Title 18 & Title 31)

• Explain reporting requirements designed to track money laundering (Forms filed pursuant to Title 31)

• Examine the value of financial search warrants and the lesson this provides to auditors in the private sector

• Defense attorneys – What strategies do they typically use to attack undercover operations?

• What obstacles confront today’s law enforcement in the pursuit of true high-level drug money laundering prosecutions?

Robert Mazur
President
Chase and Associates, Inc.
 
Robert Mazur was a federal agent for 27 years. His career began as a Special Agent with the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS. He subsequently held positions as a Special Agent with the U.S. Customs Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Throughout his federal service Mr. Mazur specialized in the development, investigation and prosecution of international drug trafficking and money laundering cases. He was trained and operated as a long-term undercover agent, infiltrating several criminal enterprises for years at a time. His most notable undercover assignment led to the prosecution of more than 100 drug traffickers and dirty bankers, including the senior executives of The Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI).

Upon his retirement from government service, Mr. Mazur established and now operates Chase & Associates, Inc, a private agency that provides investigative and consulting services to law firms, public companies and government agencies throughout the US. Chase & Associates provides an assortment of services beyond investigative assistance, including due diligence reviews, anti-money laundering compliance assistance and the training of both law enforcement and private sector personnel.

Mr. Mazur’s expertise in undercover work and his investigation of high-level drug traffickers and money launderers led to his engagement by Universal Studios as a technical consultant for major motion pictures, including the recently released Miami Vice movie. His work as an undercover agent is now the subject of a soon to be released non-fiction book entitled “The Infiltrator – My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel”. This book will be released throughout North America, Central America and South America during June of 2009. The movie rights to Mr. Mazur’s book were purchased by a motion picture company that has begun the development of a full length major motion picture based on his life undercover.

"First Responder to Digital Evidence"

Within this generation everyone should be capable of recognizing, collecting, and properly transporting and storing sensitive electronic and digital evidence in such a manner that preserves the evidentiary integrity of the item(s). This implies that virtually all crime scenes involve digital evidence to one extent or another.

Today it is safe to say that most crimes involve computers and digital evidence. Therefore it is critical for first responders at crime scenes to become adept at recognizing the digital evidence in order to secure the scene.

There are several reasons for first responders to be able to properly secure a crime scene where digital evidence is encountered:

• substantive evidence may be stored within the digital devices.
• computers and other storage devices are common in both households and industry/commerce.
• computers are so pervasive that they impact virtually all crimes, from homicide, to drugs, to white collar crime, to international terrorism.

Wade Grant
Senior Instruction
Department of Homeland Security
 
Wade Grant currently is a Senior Instructor with the Department of Homeland Security with the Digital Forensics Branch (DFB) within the Technical Operations Divison (TOD) of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia.  Wade is the Program Coordinator for the Digital Evidence Acquisition Specialist Training Program (DEASTP) and the Assistant Program Coordinator for the Seized Computer Evidence Recovery Specialist (SCERS) training program.  His responsibilities include course instruction in many of the basic and advance courses offered by DFB, research and development of course materials, maintaining updated course materials and instructional items and providing computer forensic expertise and technical support to prior students as required. 
 
Previously, Wade served as a Senior Instructor with AccessData Corporation.  His responsibilities included presenting and developing computer forensics and decryption training solutions for Local, State, Federal and International law enforcement professionals as well as worldwide corporate entities involved in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of high-technology crime. 
 
Wade also served as a Computer Crime Specialist with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) located in Fairmont, West Virginia prior to employment with AccessData.  He also represented NW3C as a Program Coordinator with the Florida Cybersecurity Institute (FCI), a collaboration between Florida State University, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and NW3C located in Tallahassee, FL.  Wade also instructed as an Adjunct Professor with FDLE.  During his tenure in these positions his duties included providing instruction and course development for many of the basic and advanced NW3C courses, serving as lead developer, developing course material for FSU, serving as system administrator and providing technical assistance to member agencies. 
 
Wade was also previously employed as the Chief Forensic Computer Auditor at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) in Decatur, Georgia.  He conducted forensic examinations of computers involved in crimes and assisted in the preparation and execution of search warrants. He has participated in numerous search warrants involving computers and computer related evidence.   He conducted forensic examinations of various types of computer related evidence which was instrumental in the investigation of many cases associated with many local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.  He has provided expert witness testimony as a data recovery specialist.  Wade also worked several years as a forensic auditor in the financial investigations unit while with the GBI. 
 
Wade is a member of the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS) from which he obtained the Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE) certification and High Tech Crime Investigators Association (HTCIA).  Wade has also achieved the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification from Microsoft and the AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE) certification from AccessData.

“VA Programs, the Mission of the OIG,
and How to Work with You to Combat Fraud”

The presentation of the Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General (VA OIG) will include a summary their mission and responsibilities.  The Office has the following divisions:

The Criminal Investigations Division conducts investigations of criminal activities affecting the programs and operations of VA in an independent and objective manner, and assists the Department in detecting and preventing fraud and other criminal violations.

Criminal investigations range from such complex issues as:

• Procurement fraud

• Bribery

• Embezzlement by fiduciaries and VA employees

• Identity theft & "Stolen Valor" fraud

• Drug diversion & distribution of illegal drugs

• Benefits fraud

• Computer crime

• Crimes against persons and property such as:

• Patient abuse

• Sexual assault

• Homicide

• Theft of government property, including data

• Threats against VA personnel and property

The Analysis & Oversight Division maintains a detailed, recurring internal inspection program, coordinates training, develops policies, and serves as the primary point of contact for external law enforcement communications and information exchange.

The Administrative Investigations Division independently reviews allegations and conduct administrative investigations generally concerning high-ranking senior officials and other high profile matters of interest to the Congress and the Department.

• Ethical conduct violations

• Misuse of government resources and official time

• Abuse of authority

• Contract/Procurement irregularities

• Travel regulation violations

The Special Agent will review how to get information from the VA OIG; what the VA OIG would like reported to them; and how to report information to the VA OIG.

Monty Stokes
Assistant Special Agent in Charge
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Monty Stokes is the Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG), Southeast Field office, St. Petersburg, FL.   He is an honor graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center’s Criminal Investigation Training Program, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a Master’s degree is in Management from Webster University.  Monty has twenty two years of federal law enforcement experience; as a U. S. Air Force Officer with the Security Police; as a Chief of Police for the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and as a Special Agent, RAC and ASAC with the VA OIG, Criminal Investigations Division.  Monty most recently transferred from Seattle, where he was the VA OIG Resident Agent in Charge from July 2005 to December 2008.

"Recent Trends in Computer Fraud
and Electronic Discovery"

This presentation covers recent trends and issues in the areas of computer fraud and electronic discovery, including the latest computer crime typologies and techniques seen in this space, the most recent challenges facing organizations today, and the potential burdens that the ever-changing arena of anti-fraud technology poses on legal and anti-fraud professionals.

Rogelio O. Achon, EnCE, CAMS
Senior Manager
Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, LLP

Mr. Achon is a Senior Manager with Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP and leads its Analytic & Forensic Technology practice in South Florida and Latin America. He is an engineer with vast hands-on experience in Anti-Money Laundering technology, electronic data mining and discovery, computer forensics, systems diagnostics, troubleshooting, networking and programming in a variety of languages and platforms.

Mr. Achon advises companies on the best use of technology to monitor, deter and cope with white collar crimes. He has led the technical aspects of several high-profile investigations throughout the continent, including securities fraud, corporate malfeasance, corruption, security breaches, intellectual property theft and money laundering. His industry experience includes telecommunications, pharmaceutical, healthcare, manufacturing, energy, insurance, and financial services.

Mr. Achon has completed assignments for strategic private and public consulting clients in the USA, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama. Mr. Achon is of a diverse cultural background and understands first hand the skills and traits required to thrive in an increasingly global and integrated business world.

"Electronic Data: From Collection through Authentication to Admissibility"

The gauntlet of admissibility in legal proceedings is fraught with peril in the digital age. This presentation will focus on best practices to assure that the data is allowed to tell its story. We will discuss hash techniques, encryption, certification, time stamping, and other techniques to employ at the collection phase which allow the data to become effective evidence at trial.

William F. (Bill) Hamilton
Partner
Holland & Knight