G A Smith, CFE
President 

G A Smith’s career includes leadership and investigative experience in local, military, and federal law enforcement.  His career began when he enlisted into the United States Army Reserve Military Police in January 1991 and became a police officer with the City of Tallahassee in 1992.  In 1994, Mr. Smith became a Commissioned Officer in the Army Reserve, where he commanded several deployable Military Police and Criminal Investigation units.  In 1997, Mr. Smith served as an Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration in both the Miami and New Orleans Field Divisions.  

In March 2001, Mr. Smith joined his current organization where he led Defense and other white-collar fraud investigative activities in California and Nevada.  During the last 8 years, Mr. Smith has served in increased management positions to include investigative responsibility that spans 26 states, over 8 Billion in fiscal year spending (not including Recovery Act Monies), and all technology related crimes.   

Mr. Smith holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminology from Florida State University.  

Cheryl Hyder, CFE, MT, CPA, CVA, CFF

Vice President 

Cheryl Hyder has provided litigation support services, including performing financial investigations and other forensic accounting assignments, for most of professional career.  In addition to being a CPA, Hyder earned advanced professional designations as a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Valuation Analyst and is Certified in Financial Forensics.    Her corporate accounting experience, combined with her experience as a public accountant and forensic accountant, provide her with unique perspective to financial investigations.  She believes that there are no “cookie-cutter” solutions to the ongoing challenges created by fraudsters and would-be fraudsters, and providing anti-fraud education is but one of the tools a preventive program should include.   She speaks regularly on fraud prevention, fraud detection and related topics to diverse audiences, including Federal agencies, professional organizations and collegiate groups. 

Hyder has been active in the Metro-DC chapter since 2004, serving first as Program Chair and then as a Director, prior to her being elected as Vice President of the Chapter in 2009.   She co-founded the community outreach and speakers’ bureau programs, which have enhanced our visibility in the local business, government and collegiate communities, and at the same time these efforts have increased anti-fraud awareness among these groups.  She currently serves as a Chapter Liaison to the ACFE, is on the ACFE’s Editorial Advisory Board, and holds leadership positions in other professional and community-based organizations.

David Karakashian, CFE, CPA, CISA, CITP
Treasurer 

Dave Karakashian is a senior manager at WithumSmith+Brown, PC, (WS+B) Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, based in the firm’s Silver Spring, MD, office and has over 14 years experience in public accounting.  In addition to being licensed as a certified public accountant in the state of Maryland, Dave is a certified fraud examiner, a certified information systems auditor and a certified information technology professional. His expertise lies within the federal government where he has provided numerous audit, inspection and investigative services to various offices of the Inspector General. His specialties include federal financial statement audits and internal control evaluations, federal grant and contract audits, performance audits, and forensic accounting services.  Dave has also performed numerous A-133 “single audits” of nonprofit organizations, as well as performed audit and forensic accounting services to commercial entities.   

Dave earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in business law from Penn State University.  He is a member of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA), the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.  

Aaron Brehove
Secretary 

Aaron Brehove joined Ernst & Young’s Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services practice in Washington, DC in 2006. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from West Virginia University.  Although his academic background is in accounting he has trained in interview/interrogation techniques and detecting deception through interpersonal communication and written statements by current and former government investigators from the ATF, FBI, State Police, among others. While at Ernst & Young Mr. Brehove has gained valuable experience in many areas, including fraud & investigations, audits, insurance claims, health sciences reviews, and pharmaceutical pricing.  His investigations vary from shadow audits, multi-billion dollar ponzi schemes, IRS tax evasions, and whistler blower allegations, to regulatory investigations, including those related to corporate integrity agreements. 

Gregory A. Paige, CPA, CFE
Director and Programs/Training Chair 

Mr. Paige has over ten years of public accounting, consulting, forensic accounting and litigation support experience in various industries such as technology, not-for-profits, financial institutions, healthcare, insurance, gaming, broadcasting, and e-commerce distribution. He has worked on engagements ranging in size from $50,000 to $1.5 billion in the areas of International Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence, Litigation Support / Forensic Accounting, Bankruptcy Asset Tracing, in addition to Whistleblower Investigations, Business Process Improvement and Risk Management, Financial System Implementations, Project Management, Financial and SAS-70 Audits, Tax Preparation , and Outsourced Accounting Services. Mr. Paige is additionally associated with the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and Board and Audit Committee Chair, SOC Enterprises. 

Mr. Paige earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from George Mason University.  

Irumire Okhumale, CFE, CPA
Director 

Irumire Okhumale began his career as an associate in the Financial Advisory Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Washington DC. He worked on numerous cases involving dispute analysis, fraud investigations and internal control advisory. In November of 2005, Irumire joined the Forensic & Dispute Services practice of Deloitte & Touché LLP where he worked on cases involving employee theft, asset tracing and core forensic accounting engagements. During this time, he spent two years working in London on a global asset tracing engagement for the United Stated Department of Justice.Irumire is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. He received his BBA from Howard University and an MBA from the University of Oxford Said Business School. 

Ibrahim (Abe) Mohomed, CFE, CFSA, CGFM, CGEIT
Director and Community Outreach/Membership 

Ibrahim (Abe) Mohamed began his career as an accountant in private industry. His previous federal government experience in accounting with Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and a Senior Cost Accountant at Veteran Affairs Medical Center. In 1989, he joined the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) as a senior auditor. At DCAA, Mr. Mohamed performed a variety of audits at major and non-major defense contractors such as internal controls, application controls, general controls, CAS reviews, incurred costs, proposals, accounting system and varieties of financial and defense contract audits. Mr. Mohamed served on detail as a Senior Auditor at the State Department Litigation division for six months and at the DoD Comptrollers office for six months where he assisted DoD IG in a fraud investigation case. 

At the end of 2008, Mr. Mohamed joined DoD Washington Headquarters Services – Financial Management Directorate (FMD). Mr. Mohamed is managing the internal controls, A-123 and compliance functions in FMD.  

Mr. Mohamed is CFE, CGFM, CFSA and CGEIT. Mr. Mohamed is a member in the following associations: ACFE, IIA, AGA, ISACA, and ASMC. Mr. Mohamed joined the ACFE DC Chapter in 1995 and served as membership chair for several years. Mr. Mohamed holds B.A in accounting /management from Faculty of Commerce, Alexandria University, Egypt - 1976 and B.S. in Computer Science/Mathematics from Saint Peter’s College, New Jersey – 1986.   

Mark Attwa, CFE, CPA
Director 

Mr. Attwa joined the Vienna, VA office of Watkins, Meegan, Drury & Company in 2008 as a Senior Accountant in the Hi-Technology/Government Contractors Group. With over four years of public accounting experience, Mr. Attwa brings with him proven skills in performing accounting procedures and tax applications in an accurate, thorough and timely manner.  

Mr. Attwa is a dedicated team player who is able to interact effectively with peers, executives, regulatory agencies, clients, and staff. With a sharp understanding and application of concepts of materiality and audit risk, he remains focused on productivity, quality and profitability. Mr. Attwa prepares work papers that are informative, indexed, cross-referenced and that can be easily understood by others. He is a critical thinker and detail-oriented researcher, able to recognize potential problems and propose best solutions. Mr. Attwa received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Virginia Commonwealth University.

Michael O. Lyon, CFE, CPA, CFF

Director 

Michael has practiced with local CPA firms in Northern Virginia for five years and a small firm in Wilmington, NC for seven years before that. Prior to relocating to the East Coast, Michael had his own practice in Santa Barbara, CA. He is currently licensed as a CPA in Virginia, North Carolina and California, and recently earned the AICPA Certified in Financial Forensics credential. 

Michael is also a Certified Fraud Examiner with substantial experience investigating embezzlement and other fraud cases. He is a Past President and Treasurer of the Washington (DC) Metropolitan Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Mr. Lyon is also a frequent speaker on the subjects of fraud detection and fraud prevention.  

When he is not fighting fraud, Michael and his wife, CarlaGay Higgins, raise alpacas at their farm Alpacas of Higgly Farm in Round Hill, VA.  

David Marrin
Marketing Chair 

David Marrin is a senior vice president, division manager for Wells Fargo Business Credit.  He heads up Wells Fargo Business Credit’sGovernment Services Group.  Under his management, the Government Services Group provides accounts receivable financing to government contractors that provide goods and services to federal, state and municipal governments and government agencies.  TheGovernment Services Group assists government contractors nationally and purchased in excess of $1 billion 2008.   

David joined Wells Fargo in December 2007 as the Senior Business Development Manager. He has over 21 years of diverse financial services experience. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, he was responsible for national marketing and sales efforts for the asset-based lending organization, Fairway Commercial Credit, Inc. Prior to Fairway, David was the Executive Vice President of a national commercial accounts receivable and factoring company where he created and successfully managed many areas of the organization, including sales, marketing, credit and operations. 

David is a board member for the Commercial Finance Association.  He is an active participant and Marketing Chairperson for the Washington Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.  He is also the author of several published articles about both ABL and Lender Finance.  David holds a degree in Business Administration from the E. Claiborne Robbins School of Business at the University of Richmond.