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Southwest Ohio ACFE Chapter

Upcoming events

    • Thursday, March 13, 2025
    • 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    • Cincinnati Financial Corporation, 6200 South Gilmore Road, Fairfield, OH 45014
    Register

    Speaker: Chelsea Perez - Humane World for Animals (fka The Humane Society of the United States), Senior Program Manager

    Topic: Equine Soring & Doping: Considerations for Fraud Investigators

    Description:

    Note: This is part one of a two-part event series focusing on equine-related investigations.  See our April event here.  In this session on equine soring and doping, while the presenters will be focusing on the investigative aspects of the topic, please be advised that the underlying theme and some content is sensitive.  

    Soring involves the intentional infliction of pain to a horse's legs or hooves in order to force the horse to perform an artificial, exaggerated gait. Horse “doping” is the administration of illicit substances to manipulate a horse’s performance. In this class, attendees will learn about the criminal aspects of these enterprises, and how investigations into these cases are conducted.  This will include providing an overview of the legal framework that allows law enforcement to seize horses, how law enforcement can work with animal organizations and rescue groups to process and manage seized horses, and how evidence is collected and utilized in the investigation.

    Chelsea Perez is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in legal investigations, enforcement, and equine welfare advocacy. As Senior Program Manager for Equine Protection at The Humane Society of the United States, she leads efforts addressing critical equine welfare issues, including horse soring, doping racehorses, and slaughter. 

    CPE: 1.5 hours

    CPE credits are based on a 50-minute hour.  CPE is offered through the ACFE as well as the Accountancy Board of Ohio (sponsor number CPE.00467).  Attendees must attend 75 minutes of the meeting and answer 5 polling questions during the meeting to validate attendance. 

    Learning Objectives

    - Provide an introduction to the concept of equine welfare and explain the key areas of concern related to soring and doping and seizure procedures

    -Outline the legal framework governing these practices, including relevant legislation like the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)

    - Review basic procedures for collecting evidence and seizing horses

    Prerequisites: None

    Speaker Bio: 

    Chelsea’s experience includes handling complex legal cases during her tenure as an Enforcement Officer with Canada’s Antitrust Agency, where she conducted search warrants, managed evidence, and advised on policies related to electronic evidence. Chelsea combines her background with her deep understanding of equine welfare issues, shaped by a lifetime as an active participant in the horse industry, with a focus on dressage riding and training.

    • Wednesday, April 16, 2025
    • 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
    • Fretboard Blue Ash - 5800 Creek Road, Blue Ash OH 45242
    Register

    This is a chapter appreciation event!  A private room has been reserved.  Food will be provided by the chapter, and there will be a cash bar.  We also will have giveaways for attendees.  Southwest Ohio ACFE Chapter members can register for free.  We welcome non-members and guests to attend for $15.  

    Timing: We will have networking from 5-5:45.  The presenters will speak from 5:45-6:45, and then networking will resume until 7:30.

    SpeakersRobert Thacker and Barry Manor: Great American Insurance, Special Investigation Unit 

    Topic: Equine Fraud in the Insurance Industry

    Description

    Like many other industries, the equine industry deals with fraud that is seen in many different aspects. The speakers will provide information on the common types of equine-related fraud, the investigation process in the insurance industry, and will give insight on their time as investigators tasked with investigating these types of claims.

    CPE: 1 hour

    CPE credits are based on a 50-minute hour.  CPE is offered through the ACFE as well as the Accountancy Board of Ohio (sponsor number CPE.00467).  Attendees must sign in and attend 50 minutes of the meeting to validate attendance. 

    Learning ObjectivesPromotion of improved fraud detection and deterrence and through expansion of knowledge in relation to the session's topic.

    Prerequisites: None

    Speaker Bios: 

    Robert Thacker is the current Supervisor of field investigations within Great American’s SIU unit. Robert has been at Great American the past 10 years and has also worked as an analyst and investigator. Prior to his work at Great American Insurance, Robert worked as an Inside Auto Adjuster at Liberty Mutual Insurance and in Bank Protection at Fifth Third Bank specializing in deposit and credit card fraud.

    Barry Manor is a Senior SIU Investigator within Great American Insurance Company’s Special Investigations Unit. Barry has worked in this capacity for 8 years. Prior to working at Great American, he worked as a claims adjuster and claims supervisor with American Modern Home Insurance Company for 27 years. After working in claims for several years, he assisted in the development of American Modern’ SIU and was employed as a Senior Investigator for 22 years with American Modern Home Insurance. He also worked as a Client Director for CoventBridge.

    • Friday, May 09, 2025
    • 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
    • Cincinnati Financial Corporation, 6200 South Gilmore Road, Fairfield, OH 45014

    Speaker: Dr. Sridhar Ramamoorti, University of Dayton

    TopicAI, Accounting, Ethics, and Fraud Threats 

    Description

    Artificial Intelligence is a topic that is on a fast track into the C-suite. And as the opportunities for adoption and innovation walk in the doors, so do the risks. We see daily that the benefits of applying new technology in business can be astounding, yet they can also lead to fear, loss, and occupational fraud. Businesses are seeing technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and biometrics as promising tools to prevent and detect fraud; however, the psychological disruption they cause for employees can lead to fraudulent behavior. The lack of accountability is a huge problem because machine intelligence is not subject to rewards and punishment and hence, failures and fiascoes cannot be resolved through the court system.

    Here’s what you need to know:

    • Anticipated effects emerging technologies can have on organizations, job roles, oversight

    • People will utilize and oversee the application of new technologies, and people will remain the primary source of fraud (although AI can be taught to lie)

    • Fraud and mental health adverse effects as a result of pace of innovation
    • Best practices to mitigate any risks from emerging technologies
    • The coming fusion of financial, computer and behavioral forensics

    CPE: 2 hours (Ethics/Ohio PSR - pending approval)

    CPE credits are based on a 50-minute hour.  CPE is offered through the ACFE as well as the Accountancy Board of Ohio (sponsor number CPE.00467).  Attendees must attend 100 minutes of the meeting and answer 6 polling questions during the meeting to validate attendance. 

    Learning ObjectivesPromotion of improved fraud detection and deterrence and through expansion of knowledge in relation to the session's topic.

    Prerequisites: None

    Speaker Bio: 

    Dr. Sridhar Ramamoorti, ACA, CPA/CITP/CFF/CGMA, CIA, CFE, CFSA, CGAP, CGFM, CRMA, CRP, MAFF

    Currently an associate professor of accounting at the University of Dayton, Dr. Ramamoorti holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He is also the CEO and Managing Partner of the Behavioral Forensics Group (B4G) LLC, a fraud risk advisory and governance consulting firm that delves into the psychology of fraud and uses behavioral science insights for fraud prevention, deterrence, detection, and remediation.

    Dr. Ramamoorti's research interests span corporate governance, risk management, external and internal auditing, ethics, and forensic accounting. At the University of Dayton, he teaches undergraduate courses on financial and managerial accounting, and graduate courses on forensic accounting, ethics, governance, and accountability and serves as the faculty coordinator for the Professional Speaker Series.

    Dr. Ramamoorti has a unique, blended academic-practitioner background with almost two decades of academic experience on the accounting faculties of the University of Illinois and Kennesaw State University. Earlier, he was affiliated with the Professional Standards Group of Andersen Worldwide and served as National Sarbanes Oxley Advisor for EY.  Subsequently, he became a corporate governance partner in Grant Thornton's National Office, and was a principal at Infogix, Inc., leading the governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) professional services division. He originated the 2020 COSO project on blockchain and internal control covered by The Wall Street Journal and was the lead author on A.B.C.'s of Behavioral Forensics, a prize-winning book that has been presented to the FBI Academy.

    Published widely, Dr. Ramamoorti's research papers and professional articles have appeared in leading academic journals as well as The CPA Journal, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine and Internal Auditor. He has been a coauthor of 16 books and monographs including The Audit Committee Handbook. Over the years, he has held several volunteer leadership and Board positions at professional organizations such as AAA, ACFE, AGA, FEI, IIA, and NACVA, was a member of the Standing Advisory Group of the PCAOB, has been a speaker in 16 countries, with publications translated into French, Spanish, and Japanese.


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