Forensic Accounting Damages Expert Witness

Summary

This expert is the founder and principal of A Private Forensics Company based in Virginia. She has over 16 years of diversified experience in public, corporate, non-profit accounting and litigation consulting. She specializes in forensic accounting and damages analysis. She has advised counsel and clients on a variety of damages issues related to breach of contract, underreporting of sales, divorce engagements, and economic losses.

Prior to that, she served as a Senior Forensic Accountant at a prestigious law firm in Washington, D.C. There, she worked with the Franchise and Distribution practice group analyzing and writing reports on underreporting of sales and actively assists lawyers in all aspects of their cases.
In addition to being a licensed CPA, this expert is also a certified fraud examiner (CFE). A significant portion of her work has involved the forensic analysis of financial statements, tax returns, and other accounting records. She also has extensive experience advising senior management teams on business process improvements, risk management and she is also Sarbanes Oxley (SOX)-certified. Currently, she is working towards her accreditation for ABV (Accredited Business Valuation) designation.

The following is a summary the expert’s corporate, non-profit, and forensic accounting, litigation support services, economic loss, and bankruptcy/liquidation experience.

Corporate, Public, and Non-Profit Accounting:

• Spearheaded and implemented systems integration from Great Plains to Blackbaud.
• Redesigned the chart of accounts to better track expenses and job costing due to multiple product lines.
• Responsible for all aspects of reengineering the business processes of the client and to streamline procedures for monthly closings.
• Served as Controller and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the accounting department. Managed a staff of five to seven employees.
• Performed month-end closings, reconciled accounts, and prepared monthly analysis of all balance sheet accounts. Worked closely with the CFO to interpret financial data to improve business operations.
• Supervised the monthly closings of five entities’ books including consolidated financial statements and preparing the five entities’ annual budget and presenting it to the Audit Committee.
• Responsible for the redesign of the internal control system and chart of accounts to ensure efficiency and productivity through automation to be in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for non-profit organizations.
• Prepared Form 5500, Form 990, personal property tax returns and other non-profit compliance returns.
• Communicated the results of potential material internal control weaknesses in written reports and oral presentations to the CEO and CFO.
  Worked with external auditors for the year-end audit. Prepared and monitored the budget and cash flow projections.
• Prepared individual (Form 1040), corporate (Form 1120, 1120-S), and partnership (Form 1065) tax returns with heavy emphasis in long-range tax and financial planning.
• Designed tax and asset protection strategies which reduced potential tax liabilities for high net worth clients.
• Assisted clients in IRS negotiations to reduce their delinquent tax liabilities in an approximate amount of $620,000.
• Maintained excellent client relationships, securing trust and confidence by providing complete, accurate and timely financial services. Generated a high level of referrals from satisfied clients.

Forensic/Investigative Accounting:

• Supervised and performed investigative accounting services on damage cases such as breach of contract, underreporting of sales, embezzlement, and criminal fraud trials and claims.
• Supervised and performed reconstruction of accounting records as a result of theft, floods, and fire.
• Performed investigative accounting services, including tracing of funds, on the assets of marital estates in divorce cases.
• Performed analyses of monthly cash flows for use in a divorce settlement.
• Reconstructed financial statements from source documents so as to resolve ambiguities in financial summaries.

Litigation Support Services:

• Reviewed financial records.
• Prepared and responded to interrogatories. Assisted with depositions.
• Evaluated opposing expert’s reports. Produced expert report and trial exhibits.
• Bankruptcy/Liquidations Services:
• Involved extensively in administrating and accounting for Chapter 7 and 11 cases. Performed projections for Chapter 11 companies’ plans of reorganization.
• Performed insolvency/solvency analyses.
• Performed an asset tracing analyses related to cash held in a trust.

Economic Loss Calculation:

• Calculated the lost profit calculations due to business interruptions for physicians, retail, and manufacturing companies.
• Prepared reports for insurance companies and expert testimony detailing lost business profit calculations due to water damage and employee theft.
• Determined the reasonableness of royalties.

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Engineering Firms, Insurance, Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, Real estate, Landscaping/lawn care, Manufacturing, Wholesale/Retail, Janitorial, Printing shops, Non-profits, Publishing, Restaurants, Physicians, Government Contracting firms, Computer Consulting, Hotel, Graphics Designer/Web design

EDUCATION/TRAINING

• B.S. in Accounting, George Mason University 1989 Certified Public Accountant (CPA), 1994
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), 2005 Sarbanes-Oxley (CSOX) certified, 2007

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, 1989-present Member of Association of Certified Fraud Examiner, 2003-present