A Lesson in the Power of Narrative in the Karen Read Trial

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A Lesson in the Power of Narrative in the Karen Read Trial

“Let’s say you get a call, paramedics are surrounding a body that has visible scratches on the arms and you’re told the victim owns a German Shepherd with a history of aggression. What are you going to think?” 

Derek Ellington, CFE, posed this question and scenario to introduce the power of compelling narratives in his second session covering the Karen Read case. Continuing from his first session on lessons in digital evidence collection, Ellington conveyed an important lesson for fraud examiners in the ability of narratives to influence how evidence is interpreted.   

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Dealing in Diamonds: A Case Study of a Multimillion-Dollar Investment Fraud and Ponzi Scheme

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Dealing in Diamonds: A Case Study of a Multimillion-Dollar Investment Fraud and Ponzi Scheme

It all began when Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent Sarah Halleran received a complaint through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a public hub for reporting crime. The complaint was from a financial advisor against Adam Lowe, the owner of a Florida company called The Diamond Desk Corporation. Lowe claimed to be a supplier of natural, fancy-colored diamonds, but an FBI investigation team that included Halleran, forensic accountant Lavderim Hysa, CFE, CPA and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Anton revealed him to be the mastermind of a complex multi-million dollar investment and Ponzi scheme. 

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OSINT’s Growing Importance in the Fight Against Fraud

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OSINT’s Growing Importance in the Fight Against Fraud

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is transforming the way fraud investigators uncover hidden relationships, trace assets and identify suspicious activity, according to a presentation by Stephen Hill, Ph.D., CFE, managing director of Hill Bingham Ltd., during the 37th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. He showcased how publicly available information can be leveraged to support fraud investigations, due diligence efforts and asset tracing initiatives. 

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Team Collaboration in the Takedown of an Unusual Healthcare Fraud

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Team Collaboration in the Takedown of an Unusual Healthcare Fraud

Operation Nightingale was a complex healthcare fraud scheme that required investigators across the U.S. and multiple disciplines to come together to uncover the scheme and orchestrate its takedown. “No one group or person could have done this themselves,” Mary Wielenga-Cline, CFE, DBA, said of the investigative team’s collaboration during her afternoon breakout session at the 37th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. She and Freddy Ortiz, CFE, recounted their roles in the investigation and the importance of collaboration in investigative work.

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OCCRP’s Global Fight Against Corruption Offers Lessons for Fraud Examiners

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OCCRP’s Global Fight Against Corruption Offers Lessons for Fraud Examiners

“We are in the Golden Age of crime and corruption,” Drew Sullivan, co-founder and publisher of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), told fraud examiners during the keynote session of the 37th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference. He and Paul Radu, OCCRP’s co-founder and head of innovation, sat down with Mason Wilder, CFE, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) research director, to talk about the essential role of collaboration as crime and corruption grow more complex and transnational.

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Aligning Internal Audit and Fraud Risk Teams to Strengthen Fraud Governance

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Aligning Internal Audit and Fraud Risk Teams to Strengthen Fraud Governance

Internal audit (IA) and fraud risk teams share a common goal of helping organizations prevent, detect and respond to fraud. However, unclear responsibilities, duplicated efforts and inconsistent expectations can create friction that limits their effectiveness. During her session, Adesola Osuji explored common sources of tension between these teams and discussed how organizations can create stronger fraud governance through clearer roles and collaboration. 

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Accelerating Investigations with AI

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Accelerating Investigations with AI

“Never trust; always verify.” This was a central theme of the breakout session Monday morning at the 37th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference led by Lyn Cameron, CFE, LLB, and Kaoibha Merrick. The two investigators at Microsoft demonstrated ways that fraud examiners can use artificial intelligence (AI) agents to streamline their investigations and improve human innovation.  

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