Annual Chapter Professional Development Conference

Join the Central Indiana Chapter of the ACFE for two days of training to help increase your skills, network with other fraud fighters, and learn from experts in the detection, investigation and mitigation of fraud. Stay tuned for announcements about the speakers, topics and agenda as the event gets closer. Register now to ensure you lock in the earlybird rate and your seat for 16 hours of professional development training. Stay tuned for announcements about speakers and the schedule.

Schedule of Speakers

Tuesday, May 5

Daniel Porter -Growing up on a small farm in Middle Tennessee, Daniel Porter learned about hard work and problem solving. He used that work ethic and those skills to become a certified automobile and heavy equipment mechanic and a shop foreman. His real-life experiences running a business and dealing with people in this school of hard knocks prepared him for his next career. Little did he know that the burglary of a shop he managed would lead to that career change. He used those problem-solving skills to identify the thieves and bring them to justice. Bitten by the investigation bug, he enrolled in the criminal justice program at Middle Tennessee State University. This was about the time he opened his own successful repair shop.

Following graduation from MTSU, Daniel closed his business and became a loss prevention manager for a large retail store in Nashville. He was responsible for supervising associates in the apprehension of shoplifters and the prevention, detection, and investigation of employee theft. One of many important lessons learned was “a shoplifter will steal your profits, but an employee will steal your company.” A few years later, he became a licensed private investigator and conducted a variety of investigations, including insurance fraud, personal injury accidents, and criminal defense of a variety of crimes, including capital murder.

Daniel seized the opportunity to become a fraud investigator for the State of Tennessee Comptroller’s Office and later the Department of Transportation, where his mechanic background was invaluable. This is when he discovered his love for public speaking and training others. His commonsense approach to investigations

and ethics as well as his funny and engaging style appeal to all types of audiences. He has provided live and virtual training at conferences in the United States, Canada, and Jamaica for multiple professional organizations such as AGA, CFE, and IIA as well as for governmental agencies such as the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He has been a frequent guest lecturer at Middle Tennessee State University and the Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Following retirement from the state, Daniel became a full-time public speaker and trainer, and provides consulting and investigative services. Daniel has been a Certified Fraud Examiner for over 20 years and served twice as president of the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

08:00-10:00 – Bears Will Be Bears, Fraudsters Too – Bears are intelligent and motivated to find food. When I left some fried chicken in my Jeep while in Gatlinburg, a bear tore a hole in the top and ate the chicken and part of my Jeep. He was just a bear being a bear. I’m responsible because I left the chicken in the Jeep and gave him the opportunity. Similarly, people are intelligent and motivated to survive. If we fail to implement good internal controls and give them opportunity, we are responsible when they take our assets. Just like the bear, a fraudster is gonna be a fraudster. This session reviews the investigation and prosecution of the former director of a conference center who took advantage of lax internal controls of a joint-venture and stole thousands. She was just a fraudster being a fraudster.

10:00-12:00 – Interview Techniques and Detecting Deception – The ability to create and ask good questions as well as the ability to know when someone is being deceptive are important skills for managers, auditors, and investigators. This session will improve your interview techniques and your lie detection abilities. Multiple videos from various movies, TV shows, and public figures showcasing the behaviors of liars are included.

12:00-1:00 – Lunch on Your Own

1:00-3:00 – The Radar Phenomenon – This session reviews the three elements of fraud, how fraudsters think, how proper internal controls can prevent and detect fraud, and the red flags to look for to identify fraud. It looks at Radar O’Reilly, one of the most beloved characters of the TV show M*A*S*H. He was trusted by his boss to run the administrative side of the US Army medical unit. Were there red flags all around Radar? Did he have the opportunity to steal? Was he a fraudster? We’ll find out? Attendees learn to recognize the traits of this type fraudster that are present in many organizations. Case studies of various Radars are included.

3:00-5:00 – The Three Million Dollar Ribbon – The State of Tennessee gave a $3,000,000 economic development grant to two conmen to create 1,000 jobs by purchasing and rehabilitating a vacant factory in rural Tennessee. The only thing the State got in return was a photo op for the governor at the initial ribbon cutting. The conmen, twin brothers, used lies and falsified documents to convince the State to give them the grant. Instead, they spent most of the money on an extravagant lifestyle and invested over $1M in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) out of over $30,000,000 pursuant to a contract to provide disaster relief to hurricane victims in Puerto Rico. This detailed case study illustrates how the investigators accumulated, organized, and analyzed hundreds of documents, identified the falsifications and misrepresentations, conducted multiple interviews, and ultimately convicted the fraudsters. This session provides multiple takeaways for detecting and investigating grant fraud, which is especially relevant in light of the numerous federal stimulus programs in recent years.

Wednesday, May 6

Colin May – Colin May, M.S., CFE, 3CE, INCI, has over 21 years of federal investigative, regulatory, oversight, and compliance experience.  His past roles include special agent, digital forensic examiner, bankruptcy auditor, assistant director of strategy and training and chief of staff for the Office of Investigation at a large federal office of inspector general, among others. Since 2011, he has been professor at Stevenson University, designing and teaching graduate courses in fraud, financial crimes investigation, interviewing, cybercrime and digital forensics, and arson investigations.He became a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) in 2006 and a Certified Cyber Crime Examiner(3CE) in 2018. In 2023, he was granted the National Certified Instructor (INCI) certification by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). Colin has written extensively in Fraud Magazine, the ACFE Blog, Compliance Today, the Compliance and Ethics Blog, Public Administration Times, Security Management, the FBI’s Law Enforcement Bulletin, the Journal of Public Inquiry, Police Chief Magazine, Corrections1.com, FBI-LEEDA’s Insighter Magazine, and the Journal of Intelligence Analysis.

08:00 – 10:00 – Introduction to Health Care Fraud Investigations – The business of healthcare is big, complex, and multi-dimensional. This overview will provide new and experienced fraud investigators, auditors, and analysts with a foundational knowledge of the healthcare ecosystem, the regulatory and investigative landscape, and key terms and definitions needed during engagements. We will explore the continuum of improper medical billing practices, the definition of fraud, waste, and abuse in healthcare, and identify the five most common types of healthcare fraud. The presentation will include case studies and practical scenarios to support the application to the participant. 

10:00 – 12:00 – Minimize Brian Drain, Enducing Recall: Cognitive Interview in Reality – Grounded in cognitive psychology and evidence‑based investigative practice, this course will train participants to use Cognitive Interview (CI) methods that enhance memory retrieval while minimizing interviewer influence, contamination, or bias in conducting fraud examinations. This practitioner‑level course develops the advanced interviewing skills fraud examiners need to elicit accurate, detailed, and reliable information from witnesses, victims, and subjects. Participants will learn how to structure and conduct interviews that maximize recall, build rapport, and adapt to the cognitive and emotional state of the interviewee—critical capabilities in fraud investigations where timelines, transactions, and subtle behavioral cues matter. Hands‑on practice is central to this training, and participants will engage in role playing interviews with realistic scenarios.

12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch on Your Own

Taylor Etzell – Taylor Etzell is a Senior Principal Investigator on FINRA’s Crypto Asset Investigations team. As a member of the former Digital Asset Specialist Team, Taylor has nearly seven years of experience conducting crypto asset-related examinations and investigations of FINRA member firms, registered representatives, and associated persons. Prior to her current role, Taylor was a Principal Investigator on the Special Investigation Unit’s AML team, where she furthered her knowledge of crypto activities and AML investigations through her work on matters involving firms offering crypto asset services. Taylor joined FINRA in 2015 as an examiner in the Firm Examination program.

1:00 – 3:00 – Red Flags of Crypto Investment Schemes and Best Practice Considerations

Dr. Troy Janes – Troy Janes has extensive academic and professional experience in accounting.  He has served on the faculty of the University at Buffalo, Rutgers University and Purdue University and has taught classes at the graduate and undergraduate level in auditing, fraud examination, financial accounting, and accounting data analytics.  His research interests include the role of accounting information in predicting financial distress and the causes and consequences of fraud.  His research on behavioral influences in stock markets has been featured in The Economist, Forbes, and The New York Times, and his calculator collection has been featured in Purdue Alumnus Magazine.  He has served on the CFE Exam Committee and has done significant work on the CPA Exam.  In addition to being a CFE, Troy holds a CPA license and the CAMS certification.

3:00 – 5:00 – ACFE Required Annual Ethics Training – This interactive ethics session is designed for Certified Fraud Examiners and examines ethical decision-making in professional practice through ethical theory, real-world dilemmas, and a practical review of the ACFE Code of Professional Ethics. Participants will apply structured decision-making frameworks to common investigative scenarios, with emphasis on objectivity, bias awareness, and sound professional judgment.