Air Force Secretary Scams Government Out of $1.4 Million Using Simple Fraud Method

/
Air Force Secretary Scams Government Out of $1.4 Million Using Simple Fraud Method

Michelle Holt sent shock waves through a Virginia courtroom in December when, immediately after pleading guilty to scamming the federal government out of $1.4 million, she walked over and hugged the federal prosecutor who had just filed computer fraud and theft of government property charges against her. In a sensational case that has left many people stunned, Holt was found to have bolstered her paychecks with false overtime, holiday and sick pay over a period of 17 years while working for the United States Air Force.

Read More

Mentoring Success Story: Janet and Lisa

/
Mentoring Success Story: Janet and Lisa

Janet Miller, CFE, is a mentor in the ACFE Mentoring Program. Janet spent more than 10 years in the Oil and Gas Industry as an auditor and is now a Senior Internal Auditor for a major healthcare organization in Houston, Texas. Janet hopes that her experience and knowledge will help inspire others in their efforts to detect and prevent fraud. Janet participated in the first session of the ACFE Mentoring Program, and her mentee was Lisa Smith.

Lisa began her career in computer application development and later pursued a career in investigation after graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice. Lisa runs a small Etsy business, is an avid genealogist and likes to occasionally ride her Harley motorcycle to relieve some stress. These two members worked together over the course of six months to help Lisa reach a big professional goal. Here’s more about their journey together.

Read More

Unified Truth Seekers Expose Fraud and Corruption

/
Unified Truth Seekers Expose Fraud and Corruption

When you think of how the Panama Papers unfolded, you could imagine a scene from a movie: a hero with great hair meeting with an anonymous source on a park bench and exchanging code words. But, as we know, our realities can be much stranger than fiction. The initial exchange of the Panama Papers began at Bastian Obermayer’s parents’ home in Germany.

Read More

2 New Regents Elected to 2019-2020 ACFE Board of Regents

/
2 New Regents Elected to 2019-2020 ACFE Board of Regents

The ACFE is proud to announce that Eric R. Feldman, CFE, CIG, CCEP-I, and Bethmara Kessler, CFE, CISA, have been elected to the 2019-2020 ACFE Board of Regents. Fellow CFEs elected them from candidates selected by the Board's nomination committee. Feldman and Kessler will take office at the Board's meeting in February at ACFE headquarters in Austin, Texas. 

Read More

Australia Takes a Big Step Forward in Whistleblower Protection

/
Australia Takes a Big Step Forward in Whistleblower Protection

After years of working with these issues on a global scale, we are happy to see Australia becoming the next in an increasingly longer line of jurisdictions moving to enhance the protection of whistleblowers. The Australian Senate recently adopted the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) Bill 2017. According to the Explanatory Memorandum, the new laws will affect approximately 33,000 companies in Australia. Costs of non-compliance can be high, including criminal prosecution and million-dollar fines.

Read More