Fraud Fighter Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

An unnamed IRS-Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent is making headlines about the politicization of the Department of Justice.  The whistleblower is seeking advice from the United States Congress to disclose what he (assuming it is a he) knows regarding preferential treatment of the Department of Justice.

In this episode, I discuss the role of IRS-Criminal Investigation, the role of a supervisory special agent, the uniqueness of the whistleblowing act, the laws that hamper disclosing tax and grand jury information, and my why this is unchartered territory with IRS-CI.

Support the show

Leah Wietholter is a CPA, CFE, Private Investigator, and CEO of Workman Forensics, a forensic accounting firm in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  She started her career at the FBI, went to a CPA firm, and then later started her own firm.

https://www.workmanforensics.com/
https://open.spotify.com/show/5XIzhOCoLSoFG1r4IrJ1Lf

In this episode we discuss:

1. Why Leah started a forensic accounting practice
2. How she marketed herself to get clients
3. How her best practices became a book
4. Why customer service exceeds credentials

Support the show

Amanda "Jo" Erven is the President of Audit Consulting Education, LLC.  She is an author, trainer, and speaker on Internal Audit and Ethics.  She has a CPA and CIA license, and also a CFE credential.  Her latest book is "Becoming The Everyday Ethicist: Doing Things the Right Way the First Time", which is available on Amazon.

www.auditconsultingeducation.com
Jo@AuditConsultingEducation.com

In this episode, we discuss:

1. How she transitioned from internal audit to ethics training
2. Using internal audit to contribute to a company’s success
3. Becoming an everyday ethicist
4. Her motivation to be an author and speaker

Support the show

A recent federal budget created funding for 87,000 IRS employees over the next 10 years.  Unfortunately, there are news reports and in speeches by elected officials, that the IRS is hiring 87,000 armed agents.  This is far from the truth.   But there is some truth that IRS does have armed agents; the IRS has a Criminal Investigation Division of approximately 2,100 special agents who have arrest powers and carry weapons.  They are an elite unit of financial investigators that can travel the world investigating major financial crimes.  With the powers of arrest and executing search/seizure warrants, these weapons are necessary to protect themselves and others during their high risk investigations.

In this episode, I discuss the reason for these special agents, why there are vital to law enforcement, and why they carry weapons to investigate tax and other financial crimes.

Support the show

Don Fort was a former Chief of IRS-Criminal Investigation and is currently the Director of Investigations with the law firm Kostelanetz & Fink.

https://kflaw.com/profile/don-fort/

In this episode, we discuss:

1. His journey to becoming an IRS special agent
2. The theory to seize assets from Russian Oligarchs
3. The importance of mentors in this career
4. Having a positive attitude when you don’t get selected. 

Support the show

Alton Sizemore has over 25 years of experience with the FBI as a special agent specializing in forensic accounting.  He is a CPA and CFE.  He also teaches courses for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  At the FBI, he rose to the rank of Assistant Special Agent in Charge which he oversaw many areas of the FBI office in Birmingham, Alabama, before retiring to continue practicing as a forensic accountant.

In this episode, we discuss:

1. Why he joined the FBI as a special agent.
2. Why being a lifelong learner is key to a career in forensic accounting
3. The lessons he learned on the witness stand during trials
4. How continuing education is important in forensic accounting.
5. What is what like to transition from a 25-year career to the private sector
6. The difference between a good investigator and a great investigator is knowing both sides of the litigation
7. His biggest regret at the FBI, which came to haunt him a few years later when he saw the national news.
8. The ability to communicate with various people is the key to a good interview.

Sizemore continues to practice as a self-employed forensic accountant.  He is currently a reserve deputy sheriff assigned to the cold case squad in his local county.

If you are benefiting from this podcast, share it with a friend or your group, and don't forget to leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.  A review helps others find this podcast.

Check out www.fraudfighterpodcast.com for more episodes.

Support the show

The 2022 ACFE Global Fraud Conference was held in June of 2022 in Nashville, TN.  Your host, Robert Nordlander, attended the conference and gives a review of the conference, including the venue, speakers, and the event itself.  This was his first attendance of the conference so he did not know what to expect and overall gave it a thumbs up.  Although the sessions were good, most of value was not from the sessions itself but meeting fellow podcast guests and session speakers outside of the conference.

BTW, this is the 50th episode.  The podcast has currently exceeded 30,000 downloads in over 130 countries and 3,000 cities.  Thank you for the listeners and podcast guests for making this achievement happen.

https://www.fraudconference.com/33rd-home.aspx

Mary Breslin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marybreslin/
Derek Ellington - https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekellington/
Jo Erven - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-jo-erven-ace/
Leah Wietholter - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-wietholter-cfe-pi-cpa-33557815/
Ian Mitchell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/iantmitchell/

Support the show

In this episode, your host, Robert Nordlander, discusses the difference between a civil tax audit and a criminal tax investigation.  The stakes are at the highest in a criminal tax investigation.  Therefore, not just any CPA or forensic accountant should be hired by a taxpayer or taxpayer's attorney.  Even if the expert is a former IRS employee doesn't make them the best choice.

There is a huge difference between a civil audit and a criminal tax investigation, such as burden of proof, policies, procedures, tax loss calculations, rules of criminal evidence, and criminal intent.

In this episode, Robert Nordlander talks about those differences and why it is best to hire a specialist.

Support the show

Natalie Lewis is a CPA, forensic accountant, and principal with the CPA firm Windham Brannon in Atlanta, GA.  She earned a CFF (Certified in Financial Forensics) which is an additional credential for CPAs.

https://windhambrannon.com/our-team/natalie-lewis/
https://us.aicpa.org/membership/join/cff-exam.html

In this episode, we discuss:

1. The value of the CFF credential (Certified in Financial Forensics)
2. How the CPA license and CFE credential differ in forensic accounting
3. Why asking questions is the key to development

Support the show

Mike Dunavant is the Chief Investigative Counsel for the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.  He is a former state prosecutor and former US Attorney for the Western District of TN.  The Comptroller is known as the "Money Cop" to ensure that fraud, waste and abuse are investigated in the state and local government.

https://comptroller.tn.gov/

In this episode, we discuss:

1. The role of the TN Comptroller of the Treasury
2. The authority it has to conduct financial investigations
3. The ways it receives cases to investigate
4. The education and experience needed to be a forensic examiner
5. The effect of COVID on the United States Justice System

Support the show