In the Hot Seat With Our Testifying Experts:

Abe Smith, CFE, Director of Criminal & Corporate Investigations

 

 

How is your blend of financial expertise + law enforcement background unique and valuable for clients?

Why I say that law enforcement background is so essential…
When I was a new agent, I had a prosecuting attorney, and I would be so proud with the analysis that I would present to him.
And he would say, Abe, it doesn’t matter what we know, it only matters what we can prove.

And I think having that law enforcement background really ingrained in me as a young agent, and I was able to carry it through, that what’s the relevance of financial analysis?

It’s easy to compile a lot of data, and I think in a prosecution or even on a defense case, the relevance, knowing the relevance of it, what does it take to get evidence across the finish line to really establish a position. Does it rise to beyond a reasonable doubt?

And so that 20 years of experience of having to do that, I used to like to use the term, is our evidence watertight?

I was able to develop a reputation with the prosecutors that I worked with that not only did I have the financial analytical skills, but I was able to organize it, I was able to analyze it, and I was able to present it in a clear and concise way that established evidence to the level that it needed to be.

There’s a lot of people who can actually crunch the numbers, but knowing where to take those numbers and what its relevance is.
Sometimes cutting away the fluff to really focus in on what’s most important, I think that’s what the blend of the great minds here at Morones with the financial analysis abilities, which I have as well, but when you bring the law enforcement experience and background, I think it really sets apart the work that we do.

 

 

 

What are the top 3 things you bring to the table for litigators that they can’t get anywhere else?

Number one, there’s a difference between financial analysis and financial investigation.
And analysis is once the numbers have come to you, and I use the term number crunching, where do you go and get that evidence? And what’s the most efficient way of doing it? That’s one thing that comes to mind.

The other one, I remember a term when I was a new agent.
A seasoned prosecutor says, Abe, we’ve got to learn to anticipate defenses. Attorneys know what that means.
But basically, it’s understanding that your evidence is going to be scrutinized. How is that going to be evaluated and even opposed?
So I think understanding that is critical.

The other thing that comes to mind is having been in that field for 20 years, is I speak the language.
It’s like being a head coach now, and I used to be a player. It’s, I know how the game is played. I know what the rules are.
I know what it takes to win. I understand things like sentencing, the legal process, the language, you know, certainly.
I understand the intricacies of money laundering and what needs to be established in order to be able to prove that.
I understand testimony and preparing for it and trial and juries and all those things that come into the courtroom.

The other thing is I feel confident in being able to offer alternatives to attorneys. So I’m a collaborative partner in being able to step back and see not only the importance of the numbers, but how they fit into the overall legal picture.

 

 

 

How is AI like a space shuttle?
See Abe’s analogy comparing the use of AI in our investigative work to the precision required to fly and land a space shuttle safely 🚀

I compare AI to the space shuttle, and it’s as though everybody has their own space shuttle all of a sudden.

And when the space shuttle came out, it was an amazing advance in engineering and in space exploration, something that could take off and head into space and then land like an airplane. So I was thinking about this comparison between AI and the space shuttle.

Well, it’s as though everybody now has this amazing spaceship, this space shuttle. But the question is, do you know how to fly it?

And what I mean is anybody can pull up ChatGPT or Claude online, and they see that little dialogue box there, and they can type in their question. But really, truly being able to fly that machine is something totally different.

Now to continue that analogy a little bit further, it’s one thing to be able to take that, to take off, to enter space, but a space shuttle needed to be able to land. And my comparison for landing is, can you utilize AI safely? Can you ensure its accuracy?

And so here at Morones, we are heavily invested in being able to not only fly that space shuttle but be able to land it safely to ensure its accuracy. And if we can’t, we don’t want to rely on it.

 

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Abe Smith, CFE served as a Special Agent with the Criminal Division of the IRS for 20 years, uncovering complex financial crimes. With this unique background, he offers valuable perspective throughout the litigation process.

Working with white-collar criminal defense attorneys, whistleblower attorneys, individuals and government agencies, he helps make sense of technical information and evidence to assist with various financial aspects of a case. This includes providing investigative insight, detailed financial analysis, and expert witness testimony.

503.718.0375 | [email protected]