Forensic Accountant White Collar Crime Expert Witness

Expert Witness No.2965

Florida

Experience

A Private Company ∙ Plantation, FL     
Forensic Analyst                                                                    
8/09-Present
Assisting with the defense of a variety of criminal charges including tax evasion, mortgage fraud, embezzlement and insurance fraud.
Litigation support for plaintiffs and defendants involved in civil suits primarily related to commercial damages.     

Self-employed Forensic Accounting Consultant ∙ Ft. Lauderdale, FL
1/09-8/09
Freelance work as sub-contractor for local forensic accountants, attorneys and directly for clients. 
Engaged to perform a wholesale clothing business commercial damages report, assisted in criminal defense of a mortgage fraud case and performed a voluntary disclosure filing.

Berenfeld, Spritzer, Shechter & Sheer, LLP ∙          Ft. Lauderdale, FL     
Case Manager – Litigation Department                                                              
4/07-12/08
Responsible for managing white collar crime and commercial litigation cases.
Common types of cases include money laundering, embezzlement, investment fraud and partnership disputes. 
Duties include engagement planning, budget development, client and interested party interviews, research, case strategy development and management of additional staff when necessary. 
Specific tasks include the following:
Tracing funds through multiple accounts
Reconstructing books using bank statements, canceled checks and other available data
Sourcing funds used to purchase assets and identifying usage of illicitly gained funds
Reviewing legal documents to determine nominal usage of money
Researching publicly available information online (asset ownership, corporate entities, criminal histories, etc)
Working with Forensic IT professionals to retrieve hidden data from hard drives
Creating visuals to illustrate flow of funds and interrelationship amongst accounts, individuals and entities
Writing reports communicating findings for use in court and by clients
Software used includes CaseMap (Case Management Program), Excel and Access

Alvarez and Marsal ∙ Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Forensic Accountant                                                               
1/06 – 4/07
Contract position involving a single long-term engagement requiring weekly travel to New Orleans, LA
Foundation of project revolved around recreating balance sheet in the absence of records (both electronic and hard-copy) as a result of Hurricane Katrina damages.  Fraud and mismanagement of the Orleans Parish School Board resulted in a mandatory restructuring effort requiring a consulting forensic team
Assorted responsibilities included participation in the FEMA and insurance claims and strategizing process, overseeing document flow and preparing analyses for use by Alvarez & Marsal, the Orleans Parish School Board, the Louisiana Recovery School District, FEMA and Congress
Developed familiarity with public bidding protocol, coordination amongst several government agencies, large construction projects and asset and liability tracing
Supervision of 3 - 5 staff

Covers Credit  ∙ Ft. Lauderdale, FL ∙ Mortgage Lender/ Real Estate Developer
Accounting Manager/Controller                                                                     
10/04 – 1/06
Senior internal accountant for a small company engaged in private mortgage lending, real estate investing, residential and commercial development and property management
Responsible for eleven corporate entities; Set-up books and performed corporate filings for three corporations
Managed cash in the range of $8-$12 Million
Prepared monthly balance sheets and quarterly financial statements
Generated capital gains reports and determined time of sale for properties
Performed calculations of contributions and distributions
Handled construction draws and tracked properties and financial instruments owned and managed
Assisted with purchase of properties through public auctions and traditional means
Investor relations, bank relations & reconciliations
Due diligence and contract execution for complex purchase, sale and financing agreements

The Triton Newspaper  ∙ Ft. Lauderdale, FL ∙ Print Newspaper
Financial Columnist                                                                
6/04 – 1/06
Wrote a financial column for a monthly newspaper with international distribution dedicated to “nautical news for captains and crews”. Topics explored include all facets of investing.  Articles can be viewed online at www.the-triton.com

Investors Capital ∙ Ft. Lauderdale, FL ∙ Independent Branch of National Brokerage Firm
Financial Advisor/Branch Manager                                                             
9/03 – 1/05
Actively traded stocks, bonds, options and mutual funds on behalf of clients
Recommended and sold financial plans, insurance products, investment products and mortgages.
Developed knowledge of securities regulations and employed knowledge gained from Series 7, 63 and 65 securities licenses as well as Life, Health and Variable Annuities insurance license
Responsible for all aspects of running my own financial planning, mortgage & investment advisory services business including sales, service, back office and compliance issues
Made presentations of ongoing financial analyses to clients and gave seminars to the public
Supervised part-time loan officers
Bookkeeping and accounting functions for my branch
Extensive networking within Fort Lauderdale

American Express Financial Advisors ∙ Ft. Lauderdale, FL ∙ Financial Planning Company
Financial Advisor                                                                    
2/01 – 9/03
Learned equities, options, fixed income and insurance markets
Active trading of stocks, bonds, options, mutual funds
Recommended and sold financial plans, life, disability and long term care insurance as well as fixed and variable annuities
Designed strategies for individuals and small businesses that incorporate all available investment products
All functions of financial planning from the solicitation of prospective clients to marketing events, closing, developing and writing financial plans, implementing the strategies recommended within my plans and servicing clients over time

Professional Designations / Affiliations

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Candidate (Anticipated Completion 12/10)
Series 7, 63 and 65 Securities Licenses (Inactive)
Life, Health and Variable Annuities Insurance Licenses (Inactive)
Member AICPA, FICPA, ACFE
Co-chair of Ft. Lauderdale City Commission Education Advisory Board