Turning on a dime

When a case takes an unanticipated turn, these fraud examiners regroup and refocus their examination to discover evidence that eventually helped obtain a felony conviction on a corrupt city official.

When a client retains you to investigate a particular crime, you might discover another fraud. We saw a fraud examination morph from what appeared to be a straightforward case into something completely different. We adapted, changed our investigative focus and helped find evidence that local police and prosecutors used to obtain an Alford plea from a corrupt city official. (An Alford plea is a defendant's guilty plea in connection with a plea bargain without the defendant actually admitting guilt, i.e. a "no contest" plea.) Along the way, we helped form a strong team with city officials and law enforcement, which helped show that outside fraud examiners could be helpful.

Embezzlement or destroyed documents?

In April 2012, Bob Noe, the city attorney for Selah, Washington, contacted Ken Wilson about a potential fraud case involving the former city manager. Wilson's workload was heavy, so he brought in James Peet, a local fraud examiner, to assist. We both have prior law enforcement experience and are state-licensed private investigators.