SPEECHES
 

 The following talks are designed for banking and finance conventions,

training as well as continuing education courses.

 

Target Audience: Financial Organizations & Universities

 

Title: Ethics & Fraud

 

Don’t lie, don’t cheat, and don’t steal, these aren’t difficult concepts. However, under certain circumstances an individual in a position of trust may question these principles. If that ethical line is breached, the downward spiral can be devastating.

 

In this talk, I will describe the factors that led to my unethical violations of banking procedures. My justifications for breaking those rules and how with each success I became emboldened by the deceitful acts. What seemed like a minor infraction led to the complete erosion of my ethical values. Ultimately, my behavior led to a $40 million scheme which culminated in a fraud conviction, ending my career in the finance industry. 

 

While on federal probation, I used my inside knowledge of the banking industry to commit an additional $15 million in various frauds, causing me to be placed on the FBI, Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals’ most wanted list. After a three year chase around the world, I was captured and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

 

Take Away: At the conclusion of my talk, the audience will understand how the slightest infraction of their ethical code can lead to the erosion of all barriers. Ultimately, this can lead to financial and criminal consequences for themselves, their clients, the institutions they are representing as well as the financial infrastructure. 

 

 

 

Target Audience: Bank Fraud Department Personnel & Law Enforcement Financial Crimes Investigators

 

Title: Knowing Your Enemy is the Best Line of Defense

Using forgeries, I was able to convince the Social Security Administration to issue Social Security numbers to individuals that didn’t exist. I then persuaded multiple states’ DMVs to issue dozens of IDs and driver licenses in the names of synthetic and stolen identities. These real documents were then used to induce the U.S. State Department to issue valid U.S. passports.

 

By exploiting my knowledge of underwriting procedures and the credit bureaus’ systems, I was able to use those synthetic and stolen identities to defraud banks out of an estimated $55 million in mortgages, HELOC’s, personal loans, and credit cards.

 

In this talk, I will describe the incremental transgressions that led to the more complex financial crimes. My justifications for breaking the law and how with each success I became emboldened by the deceitful acts. 

 

Ultimately, days before my office and home were raided, I fled. I was placed on the FBI, Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals’ most wanted list. After a three year chase around the world, I was captured and sentenced to 26 years in prison.

 

Take Away: At the conclusion of my talk, the audience will have a firm understanding of how criminals incrementally build on their crimes. How fraudsters utilize government employees and banking staffs’ lack of fraud awareness to acquire legitimate documents; and how these documents can be used to highjack identities and used to commit financial crimes worth tens of millions of dollars.

 

Additionally, I will point out the numerous times that government and bank employees ignored the glaring red flags related to my frauds.    

 

 

 

Target Audience: Cyber Crime & Social Engineering

 

Title: The Power of Confidence & the Credibility of Websites

 

A good story, a few forged documents, and some confidence got me a long way. However, when I coupled that with the credibility of websites, everything was amplified. By taking a little bit of social engineering and mixing in an employer website, developer website, or banking website, I was able to turn a low level scam into a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise.  

 

In this talk, I will describe how I was able to convince the Social Security Administration to issue Social Security numbers to individuals that didn’t exist; persuaded multiple states’ DMVs to issue dozens of IDs and driver licenses in the names of synthetic and stolen identities. After building fake credit profiles with all three credit bureaus, I created basic websites to convince professionals in the banking industry to lend me an estimated $55 million in mortgages, HELOC’s, personal loans, and credit cards.

 

After years of running multiple scams, I was placed on the FBI, Secret Service, and the U.S. Marshals’ most wanted list. After a three year chase around the world, I was captured and sentenced to 26 years in prison 

 

Take Away: At the conclusion of my talk, the audience will have a firm understanding of how scammers use social engineering to acquire seemingly minor pieces of information from unaware government employees and banking staff. This information can then be converted into real documents that scammers use to acquire legitimate documents; by using the bogus websites, scammers can commit financial crimes worth tens of millions of dollars.

 

 

 

Target Audience: Psychologist & Inmates

 

Title: A Con Man’s Guide on the Detriment of Ego

 

Ego, it is what drives us. It shapes our every decision, and left unrestrained, ego can lead to antisocial decisions in business and individual detriment.    

 

In this talk, I will describe my personal struggle with ego and how my lack of humility led to a series of detrimental decisions. From a $40 million financial scheme which culminated in the loss of my career in the banking industry and metamorphosized into an additional $15 million scam that sent me on a three year chase around the world. How my pride deteriorated my friendships, my marriage, and caused me to lose my son.

 

I will describe the pride I took in fooling the banking industries security procedures and outwitting the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service as well as how my misguided sense of self-importance ultimately led to a 26 year federal prison sentence.

 

Every detrimental decision I made along my journey was rooted in ego. My pride cost me over a decade in prison, but it will not cause me to go back.

 

Take Away: At the conclusion of my talk, the audience will understand the importance of personal responsibility, remaining humble and appreciative. By incorporating these traits, individuals can learn to manage their ego, value societies’ rules and build strong lasting relationships.