Frank Abagnale
Frank Abagnale is one of the world’s most respected authorities on forgery, embezzlement, and secure documents. For over 40 years he has worked with, advised, and consulted with hundreds of financial institutions, corporations and government agencies around the world. Mr. Abagnale’s rare blend of knowledge and expertise began more than 50 years ago when he was known as one of the world’s most famous con men. His riveting story provided the inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film, Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale.

Mr. Abagnale has been associated with the FBI for over 40 years. He lectures extensively at the FBI Academy and for the field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is a faculty member at the National Advocacy Center (NAC) which is operated by the Department of Justice, Executive Office for United States Attorneys. More than 14,000 financial institutions, corporations and law enforcement agencies use his fraud prevention programs.

Mr. Abagnale refuses to accept payment for any of his government work. Today, the majority of his income is derived from consulting with major corporate clients such as LexisNexis, Intuit, AARP, and Experian and his public speaking engagements. Mr. Abagnale has conducted over 3,000 seminars on identity theft, cyber-crime and fraud worldwide. Mr. Abagnale works as an advisor to a number of print and technology companies around the world. He spent 20 years as an advisor to the Standard Register Company, creating security features for negotiable instruments, car titles, etc. He spent 10 years as an advisor to the 41st Parameter which developed fraud detection technology, now used in 80 countries around the world and recently purchased by Experian.

Kathy Carlson, CFDE
Webinar Moderator
Kathy Carlson, is a Certified Forensic Document Examiner in Montrose Colorado, who started her education in 2009. She attended a two-year mentorship program and has diligently continued her education by attending yearly conferences put on by numerous reputable organizations and monthly continuing education (CE) classes. She has handled over 360 cases, analyzing 1000's of documents, handled cases in many different states and abroad. She has traveled to Turks & Caicos to bring justice to a fraudulent case, where her client prevailed.

Kathy is Vice President and Education Chair of IADE. She has put together continued CE classes via Zoom, an online interaction application to help others to further their education. It is vital in this ever-changing world of technology to stay abreast in our field of new technologies. These classes assist other document examiners in their education to stay ahead of ways fraud has grown. Not only is it a great educational tool, it also provides document examiners a way of communicating how others in our field handle difficult or interesting cases. They also enable other members to use up to date technology to present their cases.

Beth Chrisman, CFDE
Beth Chrisman is a Certified Forensic Document Examiner in Los Angeles, CA. She began her career in 2006, and has examined over 1100 document examination cases involving over 20,000 documents. She has trained and mentored students studying to be document examiners. She has testified over 85 times in civil, criminal, and federal trials. Her favorite part of being a document examiner is trial testimony.

Doug Cobb
Doug brings nearly twenty-five years of experience to Paper Forensics. He has held a variety of technical and production positions within the paper industry. He has extensive experience in printing and writing and packaging paper grades, specializing in the chemistry involved in papermaking. Doug has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Paper Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Doug's vast experience in wet end and surface and colloid chemistry is instrumental in the evaluation of the relationship of paper and ink. His paper science background brings a unique perspective to paper and handwriting analysis and document security.

Beverley East, MGA, CDE, CAM, DPGA
Beverley East is a court qualified Forensic Document Examiner who has practiced in the field for over 28 years. She has testified across the globe in the UK, USA and the Caribbean region.

In 2015 she was honored with the “Forerunner Award” by the Institute of Caribbean Studies for her work in forensic document examination. She received the trailblazer Women of Achievement Award from Flori Roberts cosmetic company in 2002.

Her opinion has been requested by the media on landmark cases such as Monica Lewinsky, Jon Benét Ramsey, and the DC Sniper. She contributed to a television documentary by National Geographic on the anthrax letters, “Uncover History – Hunting the Anthrax Killer,” which aired nationally and internationally September 2009.

She is a member of National Association of Document Examiners (NADE), Scientific Association of Forensic Examiner (SAFE). She was appointed to the Ethics Committee of IADE in 2015 and served as the 2015 IADE’s Conference Chair. She authenticated handwriting samples of explorer Alfred Wallace for a client from Troutman Saunders in Washington D.C., which resulted in a $4.5 million award to the client.

Ms. East hosts in-house training for bankers through the Jamaican Institute of Financial Services and accredited seminars for lawyers through the General Legal Counsel. In 2012 she designed and conducted an inaugural 18 month training course for the JCF Questioned Document Division.

Her consultancy provides services to government agencies such as the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom); Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA); the Ministry of National Security, Passport and Immigration Citizenship Agency; and Antigua’s Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP).

Ms. East is the author of three bestselling books: Finding Mr. Write–A New Slant on Selecting the Perfect Mate; Reaper of Souls – a novel based on the 1957 Kendal train crash; and Bat Mitzvah Girl – Memories of a Jamaican Child. Ebony Magazine listed her as one of six Caribbean Writers to Discover in 2015.

Katherine Koppenhaver, CFDE
Kathie Koppenhaver is a Certified Forensic Document Examiner with 34 years’ experience. She has testified as an expert witness over 400 times in court and 130 times in deposition in various courts in the United States and in Sweden, Trinidad, and the Philippines. She has given opinions in over 3300 cases since 1983.

Kathie authored the first college textbook on document examination, Forensic Document Examination, Principles, and Practice, published by Humana Press. She is also the author of Attorney’s Guide to Document Examination. She has written a course on document examination.

Bill Smith, CQDE
William B. Smith is a Certified Questioned Document Examiner with more than five years of experience in the field. He is a member of and certified by the International Association of Document Examiners. He has testified in state courts in Orange, Seminole, and Broward Counties in Florida as well as Federal Court. He serves as Treasurer for the Association.

Abstract: He will be speaking about equipment and apps that may benefit examiners in their investigation.

Eue Kam Tay
Eue Kam Tay of Selangor, Malaysia, holds a BS with honors in Mathematics as well as an MBA. She is presently doing an apprenticeship under William Pang a Forensic Handwriting and Questioned Document Examiner from Singapore.

She has completed the Forensic Document Examination course by Reed Hayes, handwriting expert in Hawaii and is undergoing the study program of Katherine Koppenhaver of Maryland a Board-Certified Document Examiner.

She is a member of the International Association of Document Examiners (IADE) as well as the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners (SAFE). She has published an article, “Detecting Frixion Pen Erasable Ink” in the International Journal of the Scientific Association of Forensic Examiners, Volume 5, 2017-2018. She has also presented a seminar with SAFE on “Non English Writing – Chinese Handwriting”