ACFE Washington Metro Chapter and Nation's Capital Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants
November 2025 CPE Session (4 NASBA CPEs); November 20, 2025 (Thursday; 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET)
- Free for ACFE Washington Metro and IMA NCC members
- $80 for non-Chapter members
- To become an ACFE Washington Metro Chapter member, please enroll at http://www.acfedc.org
Agenda:
1300-1400 EST Session
The War on Dirty Money
Presenter: Nicholas Gilmour
The session will challenge conventional wisdom regarding the global fight against financial crime. It will argue that current efforts often fail due to a flawed system that prioritizes compliance "box-ticking" over effective enforcement. The presentation will provide evidence-based solutions to help practitioners move beyond the current ineffective approach and more effectively combat money laundering, tax evasion, and other financial crimes. It calls for a fundamental shift in strategy to achieve more meaningful results in the war against illicit finance.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the key failures of the current global anti-money laundering (AML) regime, including the disconnect between prevention and enforcement.
- Evaluate evidence-based solutions and alternative strategies for fighting financial crime, focusing on the role of financial investigations and asset recovery.
- Assess the impact of complacency and misunderstanding on the effectiveness of AML efforts and explore the need for a more dynamic and effective approach to financial crime prevention.
1400-1500 EST Session
Understanding Your Risks of Trade Compliance
Presenter: Julia Komarovskaya
Trade compliance has entered a new era, characterized by an intense and holistic regulatory environment. The focus has shifted from end products to "force multipliers" like advanced chips and software, while controls have expanded to capture more non-U.S. origin items. This session provides a high-level approach to navigating this complex field. It emphasizes that understanding a company's unique exposure—what items are made, where they go, and to whom they are sold—is the first critical step toward mitigating risk.
Learning Objectives:
- Recognize the key shifts in the trade compliance environment, including the increased focus on emerging technologies and the expansion of regulatory controls.
- Apply a methodical approach to assess your company's risk exposure by examining its items, destinations, and customers.
- Identify and address internal vulnerabilities such as data quality, system integration, and the need for in-house expertise to strengthen compliance programs.
1500-1600 EST Session
Role of Fraud Professionals
Presenters: Andrew Preston and George Saitta
CFEs are frequently engaged by companies in response to a regulatory inquiry or investigation. Andrew Preston and George Saitta will explain the role of the fraud professional when conducting investigations related to allegations of fraudulent conduct raised by the SEC, DOJ , or other regulators.
Learning Objectives
- Understand the life cycle of a regulatory investigation
- Learn how to evaluate allegations of fraud or misconduct raised by a regulator
- Develop strategies for presenting findings and engaging with regulators
1600-1700 EST Session
A Bad Return on Your Money
Presenter: Susan Mangiero
The financial fraud landscape is evolving, with investment scams becoming a global and increasingly complex problem, as highlighted by recent cases involving cryptocurrency and traditional schemes. In 2022, investment scams resulted in over $3.8 billion in consumer losses, making it the highest-loss category of fraud tracked by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The article explores how fraudsters exploit human psychology through tactics like "affinity fraud," the fear of missing out (FOMO), and leveraging trust in familiar figures. To combat this, the piece emphasizes the importance of understanding fraud schemes, practicing due diligence, and establishing strong ethical and preventative measures, particularly for fiduciaries and institutional investors.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify common investment fraud schemes, including affinity fraud, binary options fraud, and microcap stock fraud, and understand the psychological tactics that fraudsters use to deceive investors.
- Analyze the role of due diligence and risk management in preventing investment fraud for both individual and institutional investors.
- Evaluate the importance of ethical behavior and corporate accountability in mitigating fraud risk, and recognize the role of whistleblowers in exposing fraudulent activities.
This is a virtual CPE (group-internet based) event.
Location: Zoom address to be provided after registration.
Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge (Fraud-Related)
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preparation: None
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Cancelation Policy:
Full refunds are available anytime when requested prior to 3 days of the event. No refunds will be made for “No Shows” (a “No Show” is a person who registers for a program but who does not cancel registration or attend the program). A registered person may elect to transfer the registration to another person at any time. Cancellations can be made only by email at chapter@acfedc.org. Payments can be electronically made any time prior to the event start. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate "pay at the door" or payment by checks or cash.
Monitoring for Active Participation in Group Internet-Based Training
NASBA requires monitoring for active participation of attendees in group internet-based training to be NASBA CPE-eligible.
- Prior to the event, it is the responsibility of the attendee to acclimate with Zoom functionalities and verify their device has the appropriate Zoom version and configuration that will enable Zoom's polling feature. ACFE DC will not be responsible if the attendee's device or Zoom software is not generating Zoom's polling feature. For more information on Zoom or to request for Zoom support, visit https://www.zoom.com.
- Polling questions will be asked at irregular intervals and may be displayed for less than 60 seconds to comply with NASBA’s monitoring of active participation.
- Attendees must respond to polling questions to be eligible for CPEs. Partial CPEs may be granted based on responses to polling questions.
- Zoom handles must reconcile with the registration name of attendees.
Thank you for your understanding and participation so ACFE DC community members can continue to receive NASBA-eligible CPEs on ACFE DC group internet-based training.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) is the world's largest anti-fraud organization with nearly 85,000 members with the mission of reducing incidence of fraud and white-collar crime. The ACFE Washington Metropolitan Chapter aims to promote fraud detection and deterrence through educational training programs in the National Capital Region.
For additional information regarding Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), please visit http://www.acfe.com.