I can be... a Forensic Accountant

There are many opportunities for forensic accounting. This was a very fun course within my master's degree. Within this career, you can work within the justice department, or law enforcement.

One of the cases that we touched on within my degree was that of Crazy Eddie. The case is that of an Electronics Store that continued to commit fraud for a total of 18 years. The case is discussed in depth in Whitecollarfraud.com. It is an unbelievable story as there was so much that needed to go on to keep things running for so long.

According to Whitecollarfraud.com through jealously from other family member and tips to law enforcement, forensic accountants within the SEC, along with the FBI started to investigate Crazy Eddie in 1987. They would gather evidence, testimony, subpoenas which eventually led to Crazy Eddie's arrest in 1992. Eddie Antar would eventually be found guilty in 1993.

This is a great story and within my course we really followed along how the Antar family where able to evade Auditors, and public scrutiny for so long. It was a great lessons learned to know what to look out for and how to question the going's on.

There are large organizations that are looking for Forensic Accountants. On the website of FBI.gov it goes through a job description of what they are looking for. The website states:

Skills and Requirements

Forensic Accountants in the FBI tackle complex challenges with every assignment. They work hand-in-hand with Special Agents to keep America safe by tracing and linking funding sources to criminal activity and national security matters.

As a core member of the investigative team, the Forensic Accountant owns the financial aspects of the investigation by acquiring, organizing, analyzing, and reporting financial data.?FBI Forensic Accountants:

• Understand the overall “big” picture of the case.
• Create and communicate the financial picture both internally and externally.
• Identify suspicious transactions/entities/activities.
• Uncover potential new leads significant to the investigative team.

Intuition and curiosity are the bedrocks of an FBI Forensic Accountant. We don’t stop at the easy answers; we dig through faulty foundations to determine the who, what, when, where, why, how and how much on all financial aspects of a case. We package the financial facts for our law enforcement and judicial counterparts and, if necessary, provide testimony on our findings.

Right from the FBI's website, it says you will work with agents. It further goes on to describe your job and what to expect:

Job Description

Forensic Accountants investigate complex financial crimes involving corporate fraud, financial institution fraud, health care fraud, mortgage fraud and securities and commodities fraud. Their expertise is also applied to counterintelligence, counterterrorism, cybercrime, organized crime, public corruption and violent crime investigations.

Working hand-in-hand with FBI Special Agents, Forensic Accountants routinely perform the following job tasks:

• Investigate — Serve as active members of the investigative/prosecutorial team. To include participation in gathering evidence, preparing affidavits, assisting on search warrants and interviewing victims, witnesses and subjects in nonconfrontational settings.
• Examine — Perform research and analysis of personal and business records; identify and trace funding sources/disposition of illicit activity; identify assets for seizure/forfeiture; calculate losses; and utilize technological systems to perform in-depth examinations.
• Communicate and Testify — Share investigative knowledge and findings with FBI Special Agents, other law enforcement partners and prosecuting attorneys. Testify as a summary, fact or expert witness in judicial proceedings.
• Collaborate — Work in conjunction and exchange ideas with individuals in private industry and other government agencies including: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Internal Revenue Service (IRS); Offices of Inspector General (OIG); Securities Exchange Commission (SEC); United States Attorney’s Offices (USAO); and state and local partners.

FBI Forensic Accountant positions differ from FBI Special Agent positions in that they do not include special age, physical fitness, mobility or firearms requirements.

As a Forensic Accountant, you will be a part of the FBI team. You’ll make a real difference every day. And you’ll have a career like no other.

Sounds Exciting!

Not only can being a Forensic Accountant be exciting, it can be a good career move. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), within the Top 10 Countries pay ranges for Forensic Accountants are shown below:

As I had mentioned there is a lot that is involved, and this is a good example of what you can do as a Forensic Accountant. Although this is not generally an entry level position. ACFE's website also shows the normal qualifications and skills expected:

• Bachelor's or Master's in Forensic Accounting or related field
• Additional education in Criminal Justice a plus
• Certification encouraged
• Fraud detection
• Accounting procedure knowledge
• Attention to detail

Those are only a few qualifications, for the full list visit the website in the link above.

One of the most famous Forensic Accountants was Frank J. Wilson. You may not have heard of Frank Wilson, but you most certainly hear of the man he took down, Al Capone.

One of the most notorious gangsters from Chicago, through Frank Wilson's work within Forensic Accounting, he was able to help convict Al Capone through Tax Evasion.

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