SCFIA goes retro for its 37th Annual Training Conference

SCFIA goes retro
for its
37th Annual Training Conference
Join us at the newly renovated Riviera Hotel
to learn new trends with a classic flair!
Southern California Fraud Investigators’ Association
PO Box 80617 San Marino, CA 91118
www.scfia.org
37th ANNUAL SCFIA TRAINING CONFERENCE
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The Southern California Fraud Investigators’ Association Board of Directors is proud to welcome you
to the 37th Annual SCFIA Training Conference. This is an outstanding opportunity for you to receive
excellent training and education and to network with other professionals who investigate fraud. This
Conference will bring together segments of law enforcement, insurance SIU members, private investigators, and attorneys that have a wealth of experience and expertise in anti-fraud investigations.
Attendees are encouraged to share their opinions and experience in classroom environments so that
all can benefit. Positive interaction has been proven to be one of the best ways to learn. This helps
develop working relationships and provide solutions to common problems our industry faces.
We have consulted with California Department of Insurance, National Insurance Crime Bureau, and
Northern California Fraud Investigators’ Association members and Board, to bring you updated training and the best instructors available.
Please enjoy the conference and be sure to attend the Wednesday evening banquet. There will be a
silent auction that benefits the Wounded Warrior Project along with a fun filled Casino Night that
will give you a chance to win some great prizes !
Keith Levin
Auto Club of Southern California
Manager, Special Investigations Unit
2014 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, November 18
2:00 – 2:15 p.m.
Introduction
Keith Levin
SCFIA President
2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
Welcome to Palm Springs!
Alberto Franz, III
Palm Springs Police Chief
2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Keynote Speaker
Josh Mankiewicz
Dateline NBC Correspondent
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Intelligence Gathering
Learn the latest techniques.
Michele Stuart
JAG Investigations
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
President’s Reception – Exhibitor Area - Come and meet the new members, re-kindle
old acquaintances and visit with the exhibitors.
Wednesday, November 19
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
What to Do When Everything in a
Water Loss Goes Wrong
From the inception to the inflated
restoration estimate.
David Bunch
David H. Bunch Investigations
Jon Colman
Colman Macdonald Law Group, LLP
John Edson, Esq.
Sheppard Mullin
Melody Mosley, Esq.
Cummins & White, LLP
Dawnde Pence, CIFI, CPCU
Auto Club
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Medical Criminal Conspiracies
Case studies.
Shaddi Kamiabipour, Deputy District Attorney
Orange County
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Staged Auto Accidents
NICB’s role in the identification,
investigation and prosecution of staged
accidents and medical fraud- recent trends.
Ron Michel
NICB
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Break
Wednesday, November 19, Continued:
10:15 – 12:15 p.m.
The Impact of the Media and
Entertainment on Fraud
Understanding the influence on the insurance
industry.
Dalene Bartholomew
Probe Information Services, Inc.
10:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Applicant’s Workers Comp Fraud
How to investigate and prosecute applicant fraud.
Ernesto Acosta, Deputy District Attorney
Ventura County
10:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Real Estate Fraud
An overview of real estate fraud cases with an
explanation of relevant real estate terms.
Gene Tapia
LAPD Detective
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch
1:15 – 3:15 p.m.
SIU Managers’ Round Table
The evolution of the SIU process and latest
trends in fraud investigation.
Dan Bales
Mercury Insurance
Keith Levin
Auto Club
Paula Ogilvie
Allstate
Kim Perbix
Alliance United Insurance Group
Brian Mizell, Esq.
Moderator - Manning & Kass,
Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester, LLP
1:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Financial Fraud
An overview of the investigation of different types
of financial fraud, including internal corporate
and investment fraud.
Alphonse Ristuccia
Ristuccia Investigations
1:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Pharmaceutical Fraud
The investigation and understanding of
diversion techniques.
Danny Santiago
DOJ Special Agent
3:15 – 3:30 p.m.
Break
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Rental Car Fraud & Identity Theft
How to spot potential fraud.
Kraig Palmer
OC Auto Theft Task Force
Wednesday, November 19, Continued:
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Wildfire/Smoke/Ash Fraud
Questionable claims and the changing roles
of public adjustors & attorneys.
Pete Galassi
Mercury Insurance SIU
Mike McKee
NICB
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Cellular Data Analysis
Deciphering mobile telephone records.
Bill McGirk
Cellular Solutions
6:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Banquet Dinner, Silent Auction (to benefit Wounded Warrior Project) and
Casino Night!
Thursday, November 20
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Perspective from the Bench
Judge and jury views on minimum impact cases
and/or slip and falls.
Judge Joseph Biderman (retired)
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Arson Fires
How to identify arson fires; Case studies,
including the John Orr case.
Steve MacKaig
Steven R. MacKaig & Associates
8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Economic Crimes
Complex Worker’s Compensation Provider Fraud
10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
Break
10:15 – 12:15 p.m.
The Wanda Podurski Story
A serial claimant
Carol Buck, Deputy District Attorney
San Diego
10:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Interview Techniques
How to get the most from your interview.
Chris Robbins,
DDA Investigator
Orange County
10:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Acquiring Targets and Developing
Whistleblowers
How to identify likely fraudsters and work with
whistleblowers to recover stolen money and
prevent future losses.
Mark Kleiman, Esq.
Law Office of Mark Allen Kleiman
12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch
Jenna (Connor) Friedl
DDA Investigator
Orange County
Thursday, November 20, Continued:
1:15 – 3:15 p.m.
I Can Read You
Reading behavior and uncovering dishonesty
using proven scientific techniques.
Philip Maltin, Esq.
Gordon & Rees, LLP
3:15 p.m.
Closing Remarks & Door Prize Giveaway
Keith Levin
SCFIA President
Officers, Board Members, and Committee Chairs
Keith Levin
Auto Club SIU
President
[email protected]
Jon Colman
Colman Macdonald Law Group, LLP
Vice President, Conference Chair
Stella Rheinhardt
SoCalGas Co.
Secretary
Flo Johnson
Tessie Cleveland Community Services
Treasurer & Conference Registration
Dave Williams
DCW & Associates
Past President
[email protected]
Brian Mizell
Manning & Kass
Board Member, Exhibitor Chair &
Sponsorship Co-Chair
[email protected]
Cecilia Laija
UNUM, SIU
Board Member, Silent Auction Chair
Lita Abella
Ca. State Bar
Board Member, Website /Public Relations
Melody Mosley
Cummins & White
Speaker Chair
Miguel Padilla
Lifetime Member
Program & Casino Night Chair
Arvin Turner
Auto Club SIU
Golf Chair
Sid Parsley
Mercury Ins. SIU
Board Member, Membership Chair
Steve Thompson
Steve Thompson Investigations
Sergeant-At-Arms
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
2014 CONFERENCE SPONSORS
DIAMOND SPONSOR
Colman Macdonald Law Group, LLP is an AV-rated SIU and litigation firm. The partnership is honored to receive this
highest of peer ratings, which recognizes professional excellence, legal ability and ethical standards.
For 20+ years the firm’s principals, Jon Colman and Scott Macdonald, have provided superior, cost-effective legal services. They joined forces in 2014, to offer their combined expertise to clients throughout California and Nevada.
Headquartered in Glendale, the group also maintains offices in Irvine and Las Vegas, with expansion planned into Northern California.
As litigators, Colman Macdonald (CM) balances aggressive and efficient practices, identifying claims for expedited resolution by negotiated settlement. For cases that cannot settle, the firm’s trial lawyers are proven, with successful jury verdicts
obtained across California. CM attorneys have vigorously defended large loss cases, with favorable outcomes.
CM also has extensive experience in detecting and handling questionable or exaggerated claims—from staged auto accidents to excessive medical billing. As an acknowledged leader in the field, the firm presents dozens of seminars annually
to help clients avoid these losses.
Renowned for SIU work, CM’s attorneys have completed thousands of examinations under oath on every conceivable type
of first party claim, in nearly every area of the US. The SIU team plays a role in all facets of the insurance claim process.
The firm was founded and built on the belief that client interests come first. Top priorities are streamlining and expediting
the legal process, minimizing client costs and ensuring complete and prompt accessibility to their lawyer and case updates.
Underlying our interactions is the idea that CM’s clients deserve hard-hitting representation, from investigation to litigation.
Title Sponsors
CASINO NIGHT SPONSORS
Jon Colman, Colman Macdonald Law Group, LLP
Accurate Leak Locators
Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP
Gaming Table Sponsors
Fire Cause Analysis
Dolphin Mobile Live Scan – Victor Holtz - 818.645.8253
Casino Night Prize
Fire Cause Analysis - Grey Goose Vodka
EXHIBITORS
Since 1977, Fire Cause Analysis’ team of experts has been delivering quality results in all areas
of fire investigation, fire protection engineering, forensic engineering involving fire/water
losses, commercial structures, residential structures, vessels, vehicles, product failures along
with education/training. Call us at 800-726-5939 or visit us on the web at www.fcafire.com.
ARCCA is a national forensic expert firm with 7 offices. ARCCA experts have consulted on over
15,000 claims and have testified over 1,000 times in 45 states. ARCCA specializes in: accident reconstruction, auto damage analysis, biomechanics, product failures and crashworthiness. Please contact
Moira Guibert at 877.942.7222 [email protected] or www.arcca.com.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is a not-for-profit organization that receives support from nearly 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations.
The NICB partners with insurers and law enforcement agencies to facilitate the identification,
detection and prosecution of insurance criminals.
Impact General, Inc. is a forensic engineering and science firm providing technical analyses to assist in evaluating auto theft, staged collisions, MIST, injury causation, arson and
slip/trip and falls and other unique claims occurrences. Our comprehensive team approach ensures effective expert selection, cost containment, communications and timeliness. We have been serving the insurance and legal profession since 1977.
Baechler Investigative Services has served as the contractual SIU for TPA’s and insurance carriers, with a proven track record, since 1988. We have investigated over 13,000 in-depth investigations and numerous non-complex investigations. Using a team concept with our clients, our
staff has a reputation for expertise in the investigation industry. Our California Statewide services
include Subrosa, interviews, backgrounds, contractual SIU and related investigations. Contact
Tony Baechler at 1.800.726.9401.
Specialized Investigations was established in 1981 as a full service investigative agency. Our
primary territory includes California, Arizona, and Washington with five offices and over 60
operatives strategically located throughout all three states. We also employ office Investigators
who can handle various types of nationwide investigations including background checks, asset
searches, general investigations, and skip tracing/locates. Specialized Investigations has an experienced multi-ethnic staff with bilingual investigators who are available around the clock.
VINMonitor database provides insurance Special Investigation/Claims Units, an entire
suite of governmental and private source data to investigate vehicle fraud and assist in recovering stolen vehicle.
Founded in 2007, Liberty serves more than 250 medical experts located throughout California. With administrative offices in Newport Beach, Oakland and Sacramento, as well as
exam locations in all areas of the state, Liberty has grown rapidly to become California’s
premier medical-legal administrative service.