GA Smith presented the following 2009-2010 Lifetime Achievement Award, Examiner of the Year Award, and appreciation to former Chapter President Bill Park. G A's comments are below: Cal Klausner Lifetime Achievement Award 2008-2009 Today, the Washington Metropolitan Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners honors the lifetime achievements of a member of the Chapter. Cal Klausner is a Certified Fraud Examiner and has been a member of this Chapter since 1998. He is co-founder and partner of Klausner Bendler & Associates, P.C., located in Bethesda, Maryland. He is co-director of the Tax and Accounting Group and director of Forensic Accounting and Business Valuation Services. His expertise includes: complex tax planning; tax and financial accounting; forensic accounting; fraud examinations; bankruptcy and business work-outs; and business valuations. Cal has been interviewed frequently on radio and television, including Tom Brokaw’s Nightly News; The Washington Business Journal; the Washington Post; the Wall Street Journal; and is routinely on WTOP News Radio. He is a frequent lecturer on forensic accounting and other issues and has published many articles over the years. He received the award as the “Top CPA in Maryland” in 2004, 2005, and 2007. Cal uses his varied expertise to provide forensic accounting and litigation support services. He has worked on cases ranging from simple contract disputes to investment Ponzi schemes and fraud examinations. He has been qualified as an expert in many financial business and tax matters in both Federal and State courts in various jurisdictions. He has served as a court appointed “Receiver” and “Special Examiner” and assisted U.S. Bankruptcy Trustees in recovering hidden assets. Representing both plaintiffs and defendants over the years, he has gained invaluable experience when it comes to assisting the legal team in preparing for trial. Cal holds an Accreditation in Business Valuation, or ABV, granted exclusively to a premier group of CPAs who have been tested and are experienced with business valuation for a wide variety of purposes. As a CFE, he has the expertise to investigate allegations of fraud, obtain evidence, take statements and write reports. Cal has been a fixture in the local CFE community through his behind-the-scenes efforts in fraud detection and prevention. He has helped launch the careers of many local area CFEs and forensic accountants, selflessly letting them take credit for his case work and accomplishments. Recently, he and his team were called upon by a large non-profit institution to help determine the perpetrator of a forged check scheme. By using cutting edge technology and solid investigatory techniques, they were able to accomplish something that local law enforcement was unable to do …identify the missing link between the perpetrator and one of the recipients. His CPA firm has changed complexion over the years, changing with the times, but was a forerunner in offering forensic accounting and fraud examination services. The Washington Business Journal noted that Cal’s firm was one of the first firms to include forensic accounting in its practice. Moreover, he helped found one of the first computer forensic investigatory firms in the area, U.S. Data Forensics. His partner and many current and former employees have characterized Cal as a valued advisor and friend. He has mentored many aspiring CFEs and assisted Villa Julie College in launching its forensic accounting program. Cal and his firm have been highly supportive of this Chapter, and Cal helped develop the very awards program that honors him today. It gives me great pleasure to thank him for his contributions to the fraud examination community and to be able to present him on behalf of the Chapter with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Paul Conlon Fraud Examiner of the Year 2008-2009 Today, we honor the 10th recipient of the Chapter’s Fraud Examiner of the Year Award. This is an award we bestow on an individual who has exhibited outstanding service in the field of fraud examination. This year’s recipient is a Supervisory Special Agent working at the U.S. Department of Treasury Office with the Special Inspector General for Troubled Asset Relief Program (referred to as “SIGTARP”). He joined SIGTARP in February 2009 and is responsible for the Investigations Division. The Investigations Division conducts criminal and civil investigations relating to the purchase, management and sale of assets under the $3.2 trillion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Prior to working at SIGTARP, he served for five years as a Special Agent and Desk Officer at the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of the Inspector General. In that capacity he worked on a significant number of high profile computer and fraud investigations as both a case agent and supporting agent. These cases included some of the most sensitive cases under investigation at the Department of Energy. In 2008, he received the PCIE Award of Excellence. He began his government service in 1999 when he conducted oversight and investigations for a U.S. Senate committee. In 2002, he joined the U.S. Secret Service as an Information Technology specialist working on communications and integration projects and on the creation of the Department of Homeland Security’s network communication systems. He has a Bachelors Degree in Applied Computing from the University of Ulster in the United Kingdom. He is married to Michele Heller, who is a business and finance report, and they have two sons, John and Ryan. The recent accomplishment that brought this individual to the Chapter’s attention involved his investigation resulting in the successful prosecution of a Romanian citizen, whose computer hacking activities caused approximately $1.5 million in losses and disruption of operations to various government agencies. As a lead member of a criminal enterprise, this Romanian focused significant effort into gaining and expanding unauthorized access to protected U.S. government computers. The investigation of today’s award recipient resulted in a 10-count indictment, charging this Romanian citizen with numerous felony charges. Through coordination with Romanian law enforcement officials, the defendant was also charged tried and found guilty by a Romanian criminal court under newly established Romanian criminal statutes. Formal sentencing by the Romanian court is pending. This exceptional success story not only demonstrates the importance of international cooperation in tackling the rapidly expanding threat of cyber crime, it clearly demonstrates the viability of the OIG’s role in meeting the rapidly evolving challenges of the Information Age. The professionalism, competency and innovation demonstrated by Special Agent Paul Conlon brings great credit to himself, his agency, and the professional fraud investigative field as a whole. Please join me in recognizing Special Agent Paul Conlon. [Christopher Sharpley provided inspiring words concerning SA Conlon and the fight against fraud.] Bill Park President 2007-2009 Last but not least, the Chapter would like to make a presentation to an individual who has selflessly taken on the responsibility of Chapter President two years in a row…Bill Park. He has done a phenomenal job. Among his many accomplishments, he was instrumental in establishing the Chapter’s Speakers Bureau and personally made presentations at countless colleges and other venues on fraud-related topics. In addition, he successfully instituted regular social networking events to allow Chapter members to meet in a more relaxed atmosphere. On the less glamorous front, Bill was at the helm of operating the Chapter at all times over the past two years and making sure that every task was completed. He has done all this while engaging in an extremely busy career with FINRA and raising a sizeable family of small, school-aged children. We’ll miss his professionalism and dedication as president of the Chapter and thank him today for his countless hours of service. Please join me in recognizing Bill Park. |
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2008-2009 |