Fraud Fighter Podcast

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.

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.

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.
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Check out www.fraudfighterpodcast.com for more episodes.

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/

Erin O’Loughin is the Senior Director of Training at the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS). She has been an analyst for the CIA and financial institutions.
https://www.acfcs.org/

In this episode we discuss:

1. How she started her career in investigating fraud and money laundering
2. How the ACFCS started
3. The role of the ACFCS in fighting fraud
4. How to qualify for the CFCS credential
5. Why learning the BSA and Patriot Act is beneficial