Ricky D. Sluder, CFE

Ricky D. Sluder, CFE, first discovered a knack for solving fraud cases when he was a detective in Dallas County, Texas. Now the head of healthcare value engineering for Shift Technology is using his investigative know-how to help other investigators better prevent and detect fraud.

I was born in Dallas, Texas, but spent my first four years on a farm in East Texas. Then my family moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and settled in a small town called Red Oak.

Growing up, I raced BMX and played soccer, football, baseball and basketball competitively. I also enjoyed swimming, horseback riding, writing and watching movies.

I always wanted to be a police officer, although briefly I wanted to be a fighter pilot after watching “Top Gun.” But I fulfilled my boyhood dream after college and worked as a police officer for a year and then as a detective for nine years in Dallas County, Texas.

I am the head of healthcare value engineering, Americas, for Shift Technology. I lead health care fraud, waste and abuse subject-matter experts to develop artificial-intelligence software that health-insurance special investigators can use to prevent and detect fraud in reimbursement claims. I’m using what I learned as an investigator to help other investigators work more efficiently and reduce the time it takes for them to act after they’ve detected fraud.

I made detective when I was 25 years old. I worked auto theft, burglaries, crimes against persons, arson, you name it. Then one day, my lieutenant put me on a fraud case, and I solved it. I thought I got lucky because it was my first case. Then I solved my second, third, fourth, and so on. I was hooked. None of my fellow detectives wanted those financial cases, so I took them.

I’m fortunate to have served under incredible leaders. My first lieutenant in the criminal investigations division (CID), Lt. Vicki Henderson, was the best thing to happen to me professionally. She gave me the opportunity to be a detective. She never gave me answers but instead would ask, “What do you think you should do next?” She taught me the greatest skill an investigator can have: critical thinking. I learned how to follow the paper trail; being able to think critically allowed me to reverse engineer my fraud cases.

In 2006, while working as an investigator for the Dallas County District Attorney’s Specialized Crime Division, a federal agency passed along 30 boxes of mortgage records for us to review. After combing through the records, I began assembling the puzzle pieces to one of the largest mortgage fraud cases in Dallas County. There were two intertwined schemes, one primary suspect and 22 victims. It took more than a year to build a case, but the suspect was indicted, and I spent four eight-hour days testifying to more than 30,000 records during the trial.

I worried the jury would get lost in all the spreadsheets and complicated paperwork involved in the case; however, the jury very quickly came to a verdict, finding the defendant guilty on all counts.

I asked jury members if they would share what led them so quickly to a verdict. The foreman replied, “It was your testimony. The way you broke everything down so easily for us to understand, we knew immediately he was guilty.”

But, as much I’d like to take credit for brilliant testimony and investigative prowess, I have a Dallas County bailiff to thank for the outcome. You see, the Friday before the trial, two prosecutors and I spent hours in the courtroom rehearsing for the trial. As we proudly ended our rehearsal — imagine a three-person-high-five in the making — the bailiff sitting in the courtroom spoke up and said, “Y’all wanna know something? I didn’t understand a word y’all said.” This altered the course of our weekend, which we spent redoing exhibits and clarifying our answers. As CFEs, we can spend so much time with our cases that we become too familiar with them.

I’ve learned some important lessons working in the anti-fraud field. First, don’t assume any facts about a case not corroborated by evidence. Second, don’t draw a conclusion because you think you know what happened. If the evidence doesn’t speak to the conclusion, there’s no conclusion. Finally, take your time and do things “right” the first time. You don’t get a second chance to work an investigation correctly.

I became a CFE in 2007 when I was working for the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. The CFE credential was hugely beneficial for me when I testified during trials. Courts recognized me as an expert, and it added weight to my testimony. It has also opened doors for me in the private sector, allowing me to earn a better income than I did working in law enforcement.

Friend, fraud fighting is one of the most challenging and rewarding careers you can have. Find a good mentor, stay humble, and don’t ever let intimidation or compromise interfere with your mission.

Hands down, being a daddy is my greatest achievement. Fathering a child is easy, but being a daddy is a deliberate choice to put another life above your own each day.

I am a writer, and in 2022, I published my first book, “Accepting Truth, Finding Hope!” I also launched a YouTube channel called “The Outlaw Disciple.”

I only do two things really well: Fraud and God — they just happen to rhyme.

Jennifer Liebman is assistant editor of Fraud Magazine. Contact her at jliebman@ACFE.com.