J. Cameron Thurber, J.D., CFE

The only attorney and investigator at the U.S. Federal Election Commission's Office Of Inspector General (OIG), Cameron Thurber handles all legal affairs for the office — from negotiating agreements, to issues involving the inspector general's statutory independence and broad authority. His dream of becoming a police officer at a young age drove him down a career path that eventually led to a job he describes as his "perfect fit."

I have learned to be persistent and how to get granular with details while keeping the bigger picture in focus. My interviewing skills have greatly evolved throughout my career; I sometimes cringe when I think of some of the interviews I conducted early on compared with how I interview today.

Growing up in Boynton Beach, Florida, just a few minutes from the ocean, I spent a lot of time at the beach. I also loved to read, especially history, and I developed a love of travel. My father did a lot of international work as a part-time U.S. educational representative to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, so I got to meet a number of officials from other countries growing up. I've been to Europe five times, visited most of the states and spent a summer studying in Prague and Oxford.

I have always wanted to be a police officer. I have an innate sense of justice and doing the right thing. I used to put blue caps from nasal spray bottles on my toy cars to turn them into police cars, and my mom sewed a police uniform for me when I was 5 or 6. My interest in the study of crime and its causes never waned, leading me to obtain a Bachelor's in Criminology at Florida State University [FSU].

Some of my most interesting academic experiences were my internships, which gave me great insight into my career choices. When I was in law school — also at FSU — I spent a semester as a full-time intern with the local prosecutor's office where I got to try a few cases from jury selection to closing arguments. At the beginning of my first trial, my supervising attorney told me I was on my own; he went to sit at the back of the courtroom and left me alone at the table. It was a little nerve-wracking, but I got a conviction!

I became interested in white-collar crime in college, but at the time I imagined myself getting more into violent or organized crime investigations. Over time, I realized how many people were getting away with fraud because it wasn't taken as seriously as other types of crimes. When the malefactors were caught, the sanctions were usually comparatively light.

As a patrol officer for the Lake Worth [Florida] Police Department following college, I would sometimes be assigned to take the initial report on fraud cases. While others would rather have been chasing drug dealers down back alleys, I found fraud cases more interesting. When I heard from a friend that the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud [DIF] was hiring, I thought it would be a great opportunity to investigate complex, multijurisdictional fraud cases — and it was.

When I was with the DIF, I worked a joint investigation with the FBI involving a rural insurance agent who was essentially both the perpetrator and victim of his own pyramid scheme. Despite being considered a wealthy community leader, he found himself in debt from some bad investments. To raise cash, he created fictitious agricultural workers' comp policies — the premiums of which could often reach into the six figures — and submitted premium finance loan applications in fictitious names for the fake policies. He would invest the loan proceeds into risky ventures, lose the money and then have to take out more premium finance loans to make payments on the ones already taken out and invest in yet more risky schemes. He took out more than 160 loans but used the same address for all of them, which led to him getting caught. In the end, he had taken out about $50 million in loans, but since he paid off some with other loans, the net loss was around $16 million.

My job is a perfect fit because I get to do both legal and investigative work. Out of law school, I first worked for a firm doing commercial litigation and then for an insurance fraud firm. I missed working for the government, though. One day, I saw a job announcement for attorneys to investigate campaign finance law violations with the Enforcement Division of the Federal Election Commission [FEC], and seven months later I was in Washington. Eventually, I moved over to the FEC's Office of Inspector General.

I am the only attorney and only investigator in the OIG at the FEC. I essentially function as the agency's internal affairs and contract fraud unit. I handle all legal affairs for the office; my responsibilities run the gamut from Privacy Act issues and Freedom of Information Act requests, to negotiating agreements, to analyzing and formulating responses to pending legislation and to issues involving the inspector general's statutory independence and broad authority.

What really raises my ire is that unlike some other types of crime, perpetrators of fraud usually have no excuse to mitigate their actions — they often are educated, of good upbringing, are respected in their communities and in well-paying careers. If caught, they try to rationalize and minimize their responsibility by saying they made a "mistake," when instead what they really did was make a conscious, intentional decision to steal knowing they were violating the law.

My career advice: Fraud examination is a wide, rewarding and, unfortunately, expanding career field — job security is not an issue. It is important to be persistent. And always keep an open mind. If you convince yourself that someone is guilty, you might overlook exculpatory or mitigating evidence, and vice-versa. It is serious work with great consequences for those you investigate.

I first heard about the ACFE in the mid-90s when I was with the DIF. There are a number of CFEs in the inspector general community including auditors, investigators and attorneys — I enjoy interacting with CFEs from other disciplines. The CFE Exam Prep Course I took was a great learning experience, and I plan on taking advantage of more educational opportunities in the future.

My greatest achievement is, hopefully, being a great father. I have a seven-year-old son and he is an exceptional kid — great in both academics and athletics, very sweet-natured and wise and intuitive for his age. I really enjoy showing and teaching him new things.

Cameron Thurber's views are his own and not necessarily those of the Federal Election Commission or the U.S. federal government.

Emily Primeaux is assistant editor of Fraud Magazine.

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