We Offer Financial Fraud Investigation and Forensic Accounting Services Backed By Centuries of Federal Government Experience
Private Intelligence Team Lead – Timothy E. Allen | Former Special Agent (U.S. Secret Service & DOJ-OIG)
As a corporate executive or in-house attorney, protecting your company’s bottom line is the bottom line. When fraud—or allegations of fraud—threaten your company’s financial condition, you need to act swiftly and decisively, and you must leave no room for error. You must gather all of the relevant facts as quickly as possible. You must make informed and strategic decisions focused on protecting your company’s (and its shareholders’) best interests.
At Corporate Investigation Consulting, we assist companies of all sizes with financial fraud investigations and forensic accounting. Our team of consultants brings centuries of relevant experience to the table—including experience in litigation support, conducting financial fraud investigations, and overseeing forensic accounting activities at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and other federal agencies.
Your Choice Financial Fraud Investigation and Forensic Accounting Consulting
Whether your company is dealing with an instance of suspected financial fraud, such as asset misappropriation, shareholder disputes, or business valuation, or your company is facing scrutiny from governmental authorities, you need to rely on a team of experienced professionals and industry experts to guide you forward.
Our seasoned forensic accountants and consultants work directly with our clients’ executives and in-house attorneys to help them conduct comprehensive and confidential internal investigations. Our consultants rely on state-of-the-art forensic accounting techniques and technologies. As a result of our consultants’ deep experience, we are able to hit the ground running, and this saves our clients both money and time when efficiency is the name of the game.
Financial Fraud Investigations
We consult with companies that need to conduct financial fraud investigations in response to both internally identified concerns and government inquiries. In both situations, we take the same comprehensive and custom-tailored approach. We work diligently to provide our clients with the information they need to prevent financial losses.
Companies may need to conduct financial fraud investigations under a broad range of scenarios. Our experience includes (but is not limited to) consulting on matters involving concerns of:
- Billing fraud
- Bribery
- Embezzlement
- Employee theft
- Forgery
- Kickback schemes
- Misappropriation of corporate funds
- Money laundering
- Procurement fraud
- Securities violations
We structure our clients’ financial fraud investigations in a way that is designed to ensure the examination of all pertinent information sources. Like law firms, we prioritize confidentiality as warranted. Our consultants ensure the preservation of records and evidence as necessary. In broad strokes, the steps involved in our financial fraud investigation process are:
1. Preliminary Assessment
Once engaged, our consultants will work with your company’s leadership team to preliminarily assess the situation on the ground. We will determine what investigative measures are necessary and work with your company’s leaders to identify the internal personnel who should (and shouldn’t) be involved. At this stage, our consultants will also offer insights on potential outcomes based on their experience in previous similar situations.
2. Identification of Information Sources
Once we determine how best to move forward, our next immediate focus will be on identifying all relevant information sources. Our consultants will offer guidance based on their expertise, but they will also need to rely on your company’s internal personnel to assist with asset identification—both onsite and remote. This stage in the process is critical, as overlooking any information source has the potential to compromise the validity of the investigation’s outcome.
3. Examination of Data
Using our firm’s state-of-the-art technological resources, our consultants will examine your company’s pertinent financial data. We can connect our assets to your company’s network remotely, and our consultants can also work on-site as necessary. During this stage of the process, our consultants will rely on their expertise to identify any and all signs of financial fraud that can lead to economic damages.
Along with examining your company’s data, our consultants may also need to examine data from other sources. For example, in cases involving suspected employee theft, we can research the employee’s financial circumstances to determine if the employee lives beyond his or her legitimate means. We can also look for things like personal financial troubles, insurance claims, pending divorces, and personal injury judgments that may establish a motive for an employee’s theft.
4. Employee Interviews
Employee interviews can provide a wealth of information, even in circumstances in which employees try to conceal their wrongful acts. Our consultants are expert interviewers, and they have collectively conducted thousands of interviews on behalf of the federal government and in private practice. If your employees have information you need, we can get it for you.
5. Preservation, Documentation, and Conclusions
Throughout your company’s financial fraud investigation, we will preserve all potential evidence, and we will thoroughly document our methodologies and processes. At the end of the investigation, we will present our conclusions in an expert report. If desired, our consultants can also serve as expert witnesses in any ensuing civil or criminal litigation proceedings.
Put our highly experienced team on your side
Roger Bach
Former Special Agent (OIG)
Timothy E. Allen
Former Senior Special Agent U.S. Secret Service
Chris J. Quick
Former Special Agent (FBI & IRS-CI)
Maura Kelley
Former Special Agent (FBI)
Ray Yuen
Former Supervisory Special Agent (FBI)
Michael S. Koslow
Former Supervisory Special Agent (DOD-OIG)
Marquis D. Pickett
Special Agent U.S. Secret Service (ret.)
Forensic Accounting
Along with our other digital forensics services, we offer forensic accounting services both in connection with and separate from our financial fraud investigations practice. The need for forensic accounting can arise under a broad range of circumstances, With our consultants’ government and private-sector experience, we offer practical, real-world insights for virtually every scenario.
In today’s world, forensic accounting is becoming increasingly complicated. As financial transactions become more complex, as employees and external parties gain access to more ways to shield their illicit activities, and as the volume of data that requires examination grows exponentially, forensic accounting increasingly requires substantial subject-matter expertise.
At Corporate Investigation Consulting, we are more than up to the task, as our consultants deal with these issues on a daily basis and remain abreast of the latest developments in financial technology and counter-forensic measures.
We provide forensic accounting services to assist with uncovering financial fraud and other fraudulent and illicit practices. Our capabilities include:
- Account reconciliations from previous financial reporting
- Asset and transaction tracing
- Background checks
- Comparative analysis
- Covert financial surveillance
- Employee, vendor, and other third-party financial investigations
- Financial statement analysis
- Review of corporate financial data
- Review of public filings
- Stress-testing internal financial controls
- Trend analysis and tracing
Through forensic accounting methods, we provide our clients with advisory services and key insights into the source and destination of funds, accounting and reporting irregularities, and other critical issues. As with all of our corporate consulting services, we take a comprehensive, efficient, and detail-oriented approach focused on ensuring that our clients have the information they need when they need it.
FAQs: Protecting Your Company with Forensic Accounting Services
Should my company conduct an internal investigation if it is being targeted by federal authorities?
While some individuals have concerns that conducting an internal investigation will facilitate federal authorities’ efforts to uncover corporate financial fraud, this isn’t the case—as long as the internal investigation is conducted appropriately. The information gathered during an internal investigation can (and should) be kept confidential, and knowing what state and federal courts will find is essential for mounting a strategic defense.
When should a company conduct a financial fraud investigation?
There are two main scenarios in which a financial fraud investigation will be necessary. The first is when a company faces an external (i.e., governmental) examination of its financial or business practices. The second is when a company has concerns about employee or third-party theft or financial fraud. In both scenarios, conducting an internal investigation and expert testimony from a professional allows the company’s leadership team to make informed decisions, and it ensures that the company’s lawyers will have the information they need to take appropriate offensive or defensive legal action.
Do companies need to engage an outside consulting firm to conduct financial fraud investigations?
Strictly speaking, no. Companies can use their internal personnel to conduct financial fraud investigations if they choose to do so. With that said, before relying on your company’s in-house personnel to uncover financial fraud, there are some important factors to consider.
Conducting a financial fraud investigation requires significant expertise—expertise that employees who do not regularly conduct investigations are not likely to have. It also requires absolute impartiality and it requires the ability to preserve the evidentiary value of all pertinent records and data. So, while companies can conduct financial fraud investigations internally, whether they should is another matter entirely.
What should I look for in a forensic accounting consulting firm?
When choosing a consulting firm for forensic accounting, it is important to select a firm with a team of experts with extensive experience handling financial fraud investigations and related forensic matters. An in-depth understanding of how and why federal agencies conduct forensic accounting investigations can also be a major benefit. You will also want to consider the firm’s technological capabilities and related service offerings.
Do I need to hire a local consulting firm or one of the Big Four to conduct a financial fraud investigation or forensic accounting?
It is not necessary to hire a local consulting firm, nor do companies need to engage one of the Big Four in the vast majority of scenarios. At Corporate Investigation Consulting, we have nationwide capabilities, and our former federal investigative agents’ and forensics experts’ experience is on par with, if not superior to, that offered by consultants at much larger firms.
Contact Us for More Information
If you would like to know more about our financial fraud investigation or forensic accounting services, we invite you to get in touch. Please call 866-352-9324 or inquire online to schedule a complimentary consultation today.