CPEs: 2
Cost:
Free for Current 2021 Members of the Albany ACFE Chapter
$20.00 Non-Members of the Albany ACFE Chapter
Times:
Event begins at 1:00 pm and ends by 3:00 pm with a 10 minute break approximately halfway through the session.
Presented by Philip Apruzzese and Jason Blair from the NYS Attorney General's Office
Investment frauds result in the theft of millions of dollars from investors on a yearly basis, many times without the victims knowing that they have been defrauded. Fraudsters may target those of modest means or those with small fortunes, yet their methods are almost always the same. Learning how to identify common types of investment frauds, the effective methods for investigating such schemes, and how to successfully prosecuting these crimes is key to protecting unsuspecting investors from these scams.
This course will focus on common types of investment frauds, including Ponzi and Pyramid schemes, the effective use of forensic auditors throughout such investigations, and what steps need to be taken by the prosecution team to successfully hold these fraudsters accountable.
Speaker Bios
Philip V. Apruzzese is the Director of the Combatting Upstate Financial Fraud Schemes (CUFFS) Initiative in the Office of the New York State Attorney General, offering training to District Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement on the detection, investigation, and prosecution of complex financial crime cases. Philip is also an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the OAG’s Criminal Enforcement and Financial Crimes Bureau in Albany, New York, developing and overseeing a case load of long-term financial crime cases. Philip is the recipient of the 2019 FinCEN Director's Law Enforcement Award and the 2017 Louis J. Lefkowitz Memorial Award for outstanding performance as an Assistant Attorney General – the highest commendation bestowed on an attorney by the Attorney General of New York.
Prior to joining the OAG, Philip was a white-collar prosecutor in both the Albany County District Attorney’s Office and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Philip has handled a wide-range of large-scale financial crime cases, including complex money laundering, Ponzi and pyramid schemes, mortgage and securities fraud, elder exploitation, embezzlement, and tax fraud.
Philip has also taught various undergraduate criminal justice courses, including on White Collar Crime, at colleges in Long Island and Albany. Philip graduated from the University of New Hampshire School of Law/Franklin Pierce Law Center with a JD and an LLM in Intellectual Property, and from Fordham University with an MA and BA in American History.
Jason W. Blair is a Principal Auditor Investigator with the State of New York Office of the Attorney General in the Forensic Audit Section and works with Investigators and Assistant Attorneys General in the Criminal Division. At the OAG for nearly seven years, Jason has investigated over sixty financial crimes and public corruption cases while collaborating with other State and Federal law enforcement counterparts. Jason has testified at numerous grand jury proceedings and hearings, as well as two criminal trials. His cases consist of multimillion-dollar money laundering, securities fraud under the Martin Act, Ponzi and Pyramid schemes, grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, and schemes to defraud, among other cases.
Jason is a Certified Fraud Examiner and member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and he is a Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner and member of the National White Collar Crime Center. Jason presented at the 2019 ACFE Law Enforcement and Government Anti-Fraud Summit in Washington, D.C. He is the recipient of the 2015 OAG Superior Service Award and a 2018 graduate of the Albany FBI Citizen’s Academy. Prior to joining the OAG, Jason spent nearly nine years in public accounting as a senior accountant and auditor at Toski & Co., CPAs where he was able to work jointly with State investigative agencies on numerous cases. Jason received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Accounting from Western New England University.
