Fraud and Financial Crime USA 2023

Stas Alforov is the Director of Research and Development at Gemini Advisory; in this role, he identifies and improves ways of monitoring asset portfolio exposure and effectively assists financial institutions in mitigating payment card fraud. Stas started his cyber career at the National Cyber Forensic Training Alliance (NCFTA) as part of the Cyber Financial program. He focused on identifying Eastern European threats to the payments industry, monitored and identified money mule networks, and led the US participation in the Airline Action Days operations for several years.

Dr Henry Balani is a financial services executive with over 25 years’ experience in the regulatory technology and consulting industries.  In his current role as Global Head of Industry & Regulatory Affairs, he oversees relationships with Industry Analysts and Regulatory Agencies with a focus on raising Encompass’ profile as a leader in addressing financial crime through Regulatory Technology (RegTech) solutions.  He was formerly Head of Delivery Services at Encompass, where he was responsible for client related delivery activities.  In his previous role as Global Head of Strategic Affairs at Accuity (now Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions), he advised banks, money services businesses and financial technology firms on implementing compliance solutions related to anti-money laundering (AML), KYC and OFAC sanctions interdiction processes and solutions.  While at Accuity, he was also Head of Innovation where he introduced AML sanction screening solutions for the banking and trade industries.  He provided oversight for Accuity’s Compliance Group that included Product Management and Professional Services related to all Regulatory Compliance solutions. Before joining Accuity, Dr. Balani managed consulting practices for some of the largest professional services organizations in the world, including Accenture, IBM and Pegasystems.  Dr. Balani’s career began with PriceWaterhouse Coopers in their Advisory Consulting practice.

Dr Balani speaks at major regulatory compliance conferences globally.   He has advised US government agencies on the operational impact of AML and OFAC regulations in the financial services industry as well as acting as a consultant to several international government agencies including the IMF and the World Bank.  Apart from providing expertise in identifying money laundering through traditional channels, Dr Balani has provided guidance on emerging money laundering channels including Trade Finance, Crypto currency, Real Estate, and High value assets.  He has conducted panel sessions with senior OFAC, US and EU government officials as well as provided input into the development of the fifth EU AML Directive.

In his capacity as an academic, Dr Balani lectures, and publishes research related to the impact of AML penalties and regulations on banking sector valuations in the US and Europe.  Previously published papers included identifying the impact of introducing AML regulations on banking sector valuations; the impact of faster payments on AML compliance; and measuring trade-based money laundering in Asia to name a few.  He is adjunct Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve Law School where he instructs compliance officers and regulators in developing effective compliance programs in the banking sector and adjunct Professor of Business and Northern Illinois University where he teaches international management.

Dr. Balani holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, an MBA from Northern Illinois University and BS in Economics, International Trade and Development from the London School of Economics.  He has previously held certifications as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (ACAMS) and a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute.

Ken is the VP of Sales and Marketing where he leads SYSTRAN’s Americas sales team to help companies grow profitably whilst overcoming the language barrier of global commerce. He is a proud Irishman, 4th generation Dublin’r, and passionate about the mighty Leeds United.

Cheryl Chiodi is Director of Solution Marketing for Financial Services at ABBYY. She is responsible for helping financial services institutions gain more context and insight from their content and processes so they can drive significant impact where it matters most: customer experience, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, and competitive advantage. Informed by engagement with customers, partners, and analysts, she is focused on enabling businesses to achieve true business transformation by leveraging the latest AI, machine learning, and other intelligent automation solutions.

Andrew Davies is vice president, global market strategy, Financial Crime Risk Management solutions. In this role, he works with Fiserv customers around the world to design and deploy effective risk management solutions to mitigate financial crime risks with particular focus on compliance, money laundering and fraud. He is also responsible for seeking new markets and applications for Fiserv’s financial crime detection and prevention solutions.

Davies joined Fiserv in 2007 through the acquisition of NetEconomy. He has worked in the software industry for more than twenty five years supporting many of the world’s largest financial institutions, both private and public. Davies’ experience covers real-time payments, front-office trading, risk mitigation of financial crime risk, settlement risk, and more.

Davies previously worked for Logica and Nomura, the Japanese bank, in the London prior to moving to the US. He worked on many diverse programs including secure UK Government projects, distribution systems, trading systems, derivatives pricing projects and SWIFT connectivity for payment systems. Since moving to the United States, he has concentrated on financial crime detection systems and has worked with a variety of institutions to deploy such systems including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Continuous Linked Settlement Bank, ING, ABN AMRO, Manulife Financial, Guardian Life, Deutsche Bank and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi among others.

Davies studied Pure Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Wales. He is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and has worked with customers in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. He is a respected industry speaker having presented at SIBOS, ABA events, CBA events, numerous webinars, and he is a frequent writer on industry issues and has contributed to articles in the American Banker, Credit Union Journal, finextra.com, PYMNTS.com among other publications and websites.

SSA Harold Davis entered on duty as a Special Agent of the FBI in May 1999.  From 1999 through 2012, SSA Davis was assigned to the FBI Phoenix Field Office working international terrorism investigations and a variety of white-collar crime violations including investment, securities, bank, mortgage, and healthcare fraud.

In 2012, SSA Davis was promoted to FBI Headquarters and assigned to the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit.  SSA Davis served as the FBI’s primary asset forfeiture program manager while also supporting all 56 field offices on complex fraud and money laundering matters.

In July 2016, SSA Davis was assigned to Supervise the Financial Crimes Squad in New Orleans and led a squad of investigators, analysts, and forensic accountants working significant financial crime and money laundering investigations.

In June 2019, SSA Davis served as a Supervisor in the FBI’s Cyber Division, Mission Critical Engagement Unit in Washington, DC.  SSA Davis was responsible for liaison with the public and private sector on emerging and persistent cyber threats.

Since 2021, SSA Davis has been assigned as the FBI Detailee to FinCEN.  SSA Davis coordinates and provides input to FinCEN on BSA regulations, disseminations, as well as de-confliction to domestic and foreign agencies.

Supervisory Special Agent Patrick Killeen.

• Employed as Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent since 2003
• Investigated cases involving International Transnational Organized Criminal Enterprises, Money Laundering, International Corruption
• Staffed in multiple FBI divisions, including Detroit, New York, and FBI Headquarters (Washington DC)
• Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Victor Lessoff is the Head of Internal Investigations for TIAA, a fortune 100 financial service company providing pension, banking, brokerage, asset management and life insurance services to the non-profit sector. Prior to his present position, Mr. Lessoff was the Director of Technology at Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). Mr. Lessoff also held a number of other positions in IRS-CI including Special Agent in Charge and Financial Crime Director. Mr. Lessoff is a CPA, CFE and CAMS.  He holds bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware as well as a MBA from the University of Buffalo.

Sabeena Ahmed Liconte serves as Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer to the investment banking division of Bank of China International –  BOC International (USA) Holdings Inc. (“BOCI US Holdings”) and its two subsidiaries, BOCI Commodities & Futures (USA) LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and CME Group Inc. clearing member, and BOC International (USA) Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA (collectively, “BOCI”).

Prior to joining BOCI, Sabeena’s previous professional experience included Futures & Derivatives Counsel to E*TRADE Financial Corp., including E*TRADE Clearing Corp. and E*TRADE Securities Corp.; the Office of General Counsel at Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Incorporated, the Division of Enforcement at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Bank of New York Mellon’s Legal Division and the Securities Fraud Prosecution division of the Attorney General’s Office for the State of New Jersey.

Sabeena is a licensed attorney with a Juris Doctor from the St. John’s University School of Law. She also completed a visiting year at Fordham University School of Law. In addition to her law degree, she holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from Columbia University and, paying homage to her Canadian roots, a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Political Science from the University of Toronto.

She also serves as a board member and Secretary to Bank of China International’s US holding company, BOCI US Holdings; board member of the Center for Financial Professionals FinTech Advisory Group; Diversity Chair of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Committee – Futures and Derivatives Law Subcommittee, and committee member of the New York City Bar Association’s Foreign and Comparative Law Committee and Derivatives and Futures Committee.

Edward is the Managing Director and Head of the Financial Crimes Consulting Practice at Phyton Consulting, a boutique consulting firm headquartered in New York with offices in London, Toronto, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Tampa.

Prior to joining Phyton, Edward was Head of the Financial Crimes Practice at Bates Group, a US-based management consuting firm. Prior to becoming a consultant, Edward was the Chief AML and Sanctions Officer at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., where he redesigned and implemented the AML Program following the SEC and FinCEN low-priced securities and AML enforcement action in 2015. Prior to Oppenheimer, Edward was the Regional Lead of Citigroup’s OneKYC Program for Mexico and Latin America regions. Prior to Citigroup, Edward was the Head of AML Compliance for the PWM Americas region of Deutsche Bank. Before moving to New York in 2007, Edward worked in London for Morgan Stanley and Salomon Smith Barney.

Robert Maddox represents banks and financial institutions across the United States. His work involved representing clients before the CFPB, DOJ, EOUST, OCC, FRB, HUD, SEC and multiple state regulatory agencies, including banking, finance and insurance agencies. Robert has worked with both legal and business managers for numerous clients to draft and outline procedures in response to pending or new legislation. Robert is a thought leader on the CARES Act and related state laws regarding mortgage forbearances, deferrals and other loss mitigation options, as well as foreclosure and eviction moratoriums. Additionally, Robert has handled matters both at the pre-litigation and initial complaint filing phase as well as being employed during discovery, to depose expert witnesses and at the pre-trial phase to assist the current counsel.

B.J. Moravek is a Director of AML & Sanctions Compliance in Kaufman Rossin’s risk advisory services group, where he applies his expertise to assist clients with complex Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) and sanctions compliance, as well as investigative matters.

He brings over 30 years of experience in banking, regulatory compliance, and financial crimes investigation. He is a federally designated expert in BSA and most recently served as a Senior Bank Examiner with the Office of The Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in Washington, D.C. specializing in BSA/AML and Sanctions compliance. Prior to that, BJ served as a Senior Special Agent within the Office of Enforcement at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). He completed a twenty-year career as a Supervisory Special Agent with the United States Secret Service and served as a Senior Advisor to United States Senator Alfonse D’Amato, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee.

Additionally, he has served as a BSA/AML/OFAC Compliance Officer for several large complex multi-national financial institutions during his career. B.J. directs BSA/AML consulting engagements including transaction look-backs, risk assessments, independent testing of compliance, and model validations and calibrations.

B.J. is a Certified Global Sanctions Specialist.

Shannon Murphy currently serves as a Senior Investigator of Fraud Intelligence within the TIAA Internal Investigations Team. Her 10 years of experience in the financial services industry, keen intuition, and innate ability to trace information gives her a distinct advantage when performing investigations, forensic data analysis and detection efforts. Her career has yielded skills in business valuation, forensic accounting, internal audit, and most recently investigation & detection. Shannon earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Accountancy from Baruch College and is currently pursuing a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Penn State University.

Sudharshan Narva is a seasoned data analytics leader with more than 22 years of experience in building end to end data driven solutions to combat fraud, waste and abuse. Narva worked in large healthcare organizations such as Cigna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna-CVS, Pfizer etc., where he led and managed risk based proactive data driven initiatives to identify and target fraud, waste and abuse. Among the solutions Narva and his team operationalized were outlier & anomaly detection, behavioral fraud segmentation, control effectiveness measurement and predicting future fraud.

Narva presently leads TIAA’s Internal Audit Data Analytic team  to support Internal Audits & Investigations and is leading an initiative to move the division from sample based audits/investigations to risk based full population testing & automation.

Narva is Industrial & Production Engineer, MBA major in Operations Research and Methods and CFE.

Kathleen Peters leads innovation and business strategy for Decision Analytics in North America in her current role as Chief Innovation Officer.

Kathleen Peters and her team are continuously looking for new ways to define product strategies, road maps and priorities for Experian’s identity and fraud portfolio, analyzing industry trends and the latest technologies to bring innovative solutions to our clients.

Kathleen joined Experian in 2013 to lead business development and international growth channels for the recently acquired 41st Parameter business in San Jose, California. She went on to lead product management for Experian’s fraud and identity group within the global Decision Analytics organization, launching Experian’s CrossCore® platform in 2016, a groundbreaking and award-winning offering for the fraud and identity market. The last two years, Kathleen has been named a “Top 100 Influencer in Identity” by One World Identity (OWI), an exclusive list that annually recognizes influencers and leaders from across the globe, showcasing a who’s who of people to know in the identity space.

For over 20 years, she has lived and worked in the heart of Silicon Valley in California, working for a variety of companies, including early-stage technology startups. Living in this epicenter of fast-paced innovation, leading-edge technology and business model disruption influences Kathleen’s own approach to strategy and business thinking day to day at Experian.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree, both in electrical engineering.

Kathleen has been featured in Experian’s “Unlocking the Power of Data” series, hosting a segment called “Protecting Customers from Fraud,” which can be found on YouTube here.

Blake Picolo is TeleSign’s Score Risk Engine’s Product Manager. He has ten years of expertise in the identification market, including responsibilities in both biometrics and communications-based identity and fraud solutions. Blake is an expert in blending communication and digital identification signals to provide a secure and trustworthy onboarding experience.

Blake is based in Los Angeles, CA where he likes to take advantage of the geographic benefit of being able to hit the beach and ski in the same day.

Harry Powell has recently joined TigerGaph to build the Industry Solutions team. Harry spent the last 4 years running the Data and Analytics business at Jaguar Land Rover where the team contributed $800 million profit over 4 years, and implemented a number of Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Purchasing applications on the TigerGraph platform. Prior to JLR, he was the Director of Advanced Analytics at Barclays.

Chad has been working at Wells Fargo in the Global Financial Crimes Intelligence Group (GFCIG) since January 2020, beginning in the Washington, DC-area, but currently in Des Moines, Iowa near his family. Since joining Wells Fargo, he has worked on a variety of topics, with a focus on ransomware, which has involved providing trainings, briefing various stakeholders, and writing intelligence bulletins and case studies. Chad has presented on ransomware to the US Capital Chapter of ACAMS and is currently participating in the US Department of Homeland Security’s 2022 Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program (AEP) for Ransomware Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Sectors. Chad studied Arabic and International Studies, and he has lived in Morocco and Lebanon.

Bharat Sadula is the Global Head of the Transaction Monitoring Audit Program at Scotiabank (the 3rd largest Canadian Bank).  In this role, he has overseen and standardized the approach to auditing the Transaction Monitoring program across the Scotiabank footprint and led efforts to provide the Bank’s Board with an opinion on the control effectiveness of the overall program across jurisdictions.

Bharat has had ~ 20 years of experience in Financial Services, spanning industry and consulting including 14+ years focused on implementing and assessing AML & Sanctions programs. Prior to joining Scotiabank, Bharat has worked with leading Management Consulting organizations, serving large Financial Institutions including Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group among others. He takes keen interest in emerging technologies and their application to resolve current challenges in implementing effective AML and Sanctions programs.

From 2001 through 2013, S/A Samuels was assigned to HSI’s New York Office where he worked large international narcotics and violent crime cases including a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Cases.

In 2014, S/A Samuels was assigned to the HSI Child Exploitation Group where he helped initiate a large-scale enforcement operation focusing on positions of public trust.

Beginning in 2016, S/A Samuels was assigned to the newly formed HSI Dark Web and Crypto Currency Group where he initiated Operation Dark Gold described in a 2018 Department of Justice press release” as the First Nationwide Undercover Operation Targeting Darknet Vendors.”

Since 2019, S/A Samuels has been assigned to the Long Island Financial Crimes Group.

After 13 years in the fintech industry, Juan has a unique vision to apply the latest technologies in the fight against financial crime, thanks to a wide experience in payments and retail, collaborating in issuing, processing, digital payments and retail projects, what allows him to truly understand the concerns and challenges faced by the customers. It allows him to take the most from the use of the latest technologies for fraud detection, identification and authentication, fraud orchestration and anti money laundering, converting Juan in a highly qualified professional designing, planning and implementing a full strategy against financial crime.

Juan has held business director positions in international companies such as Idemia, Feedzai or Alpha Fintech and has helped multiple financial entities to improve the protection of their business, operational flows and clients against financial crime, complying with the highest standards of security and financial regulation.

Evan Weitz is currently a Managing Director and the International Controls Executive for Wells Fargo.   In that role, he is responsible for all global first-line-of-defense risk awareness, identification, and management of all risk issues including regulatory, compliance, and operational risk.  Evan previously served as the Financial Crimes Leader for the Corporate and Investment Banking Division at Wells Fargo  and as the Regional Head of Controls for Europe and Americas – Financial Crime Compliance for Standard Chartered Bank.   Prior to joining the private sector, Evan spent almost a decade as a federal prosecutor serving as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in Atlanta, New Jersey and New York City. As an AUSA, Evan handled a wide array of financial prosecutions with a special emphasis on complex money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act, and asset forfeiture cases. For his work in United States v. HSBC Holdings plc, Evan received both the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service (the highest award given by the Department of Justice – Criminal Division) and the Department of Homeland Security Director’s Award for Meritorious Service.  He began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and has  been a guest lecturer at both the Fordham and Cardozo Schools of Law.  Evan holds a B.A. from Rutgers College and a J.D. from the Emory University School of Law.