Ali Ansari is a Bates Testifying Expert with over 22 years of experience in forensic accounting. Mr. Ansari has worked extensively in litigation consulting and advisory services for clients with revenues in the thousands to multi-millions. He has directed multiple engagements in all facets of Contract Disputes, Risks and Risk Management, Internal Controls, Internal Audit, financial investigations, Regulatory consulting, AML and FCPA Look-Backs and reviews, asset and expense tracing, due diligence, white collar crime investigations, whistleblower cases, and economic damage analysis.
He is an accomplished speaker in Risk Management, Internal Audit and Forensic Accounting to various professional groups and a guest lecturer at Florida Atlantic University. He has conducted Internal Audit training for financial institutions and an approved speaker for the Florida Bar to conduct courses in the areas of Ethics, Internal Audit, Litigation Consulting, and other subjects for CLE credits at various law firms. He is a former President of TiE Florida and former Board member of Florida ACFE Chapter. He is well versed in IT systems, including creating proprietary models as part of testimony in various litigation cases as an expert witness as well as process flows in creating, developing, and executing Risk Management Systems and initiatives, within the US and other parts of the world.
Mr. Ansari has worked extensively with insurance companies, financial institutions and law firms focusing the scope of his career on forensic accounting, regulatory compliance & reviews, the measurement of damages, contract disputes, litigation consulting and support.
Mr. Ansari is a frequent presenter on forensic accounting including investigative accounting, Compliance & Regulatory issues, Ethics in Accounting, fraud & embezzlement, Derivatives, and assessment of economic damages. He is also a guest lecturer at Florida Atlantic University.
Ali is a consultant and subject matter expert in these Practice Areas and Services:
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Securities and Financial Services Litigation & Consulting
- Retail Securities
- Institutional Securities
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AML & Financial Crimes
- Anti-Money Laundering
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Compliance Solutions
- Anti-Money Laundering
- Bank Secrecy Act
Credentials
EXPERIENCE
Bates Group LLC, Testifying Expert, 2015 - Present
BKD LLP, CPAs & Advisors, Director of Forensic Accounting, Oakbrook Terrace, IL, 2013 - Present
Experito Forensics, Independent Consultant, Boca Raton, FL & Wheaton, IL, 2012 - 2013
RGL Forensics, Director, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 2008 - 2012
Guarantee Insurance Co. (now Patriot National Insurance Group), Director – Internal Audit, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 2006 -2008
Rachlin, Cohen & Holtz, CPAs (now Markum CPAs), Manager, 2005 - 2006
Experito Inc. (Absorbed into Rachlin Cohen March 2005), Independent Consultant, 1998 - 2005
Doyens Inc., Securities & Insurance Broker, Accounting Consultant, Oakbrook, IL, 1986 – 1998
Oppenheimer & Co., Accounting Consultant, 1982 – 1986
EDUCATION
Master of Science (MS) incomplete, Financial Markets & Trading, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Bachelor of Science (BS), Finance, University of Illinois, Chicago
Bachelor of Science (BS), Communications, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
Bachelor of Science (BS), Accounting, Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/LICENSING
FINRA Series 65, 63 and 7
LANGUAGE SKILLS
- English, Hindi and Urdu – Native fluency
- German and Spanish – Limited working proficiency
- Arabic – Proficient
TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Mr. Ansari is a frequent presenter on forensic accounting including compliance & regulatory issues, ethics in accounting, fraud & embezzlement, Derivatives, and assessment of economic damages. Besides being a former guest lecturer at Florida Atlantic University, he has appeared on TV in Chicago to speak on financial markets, and to various organizations on topics that include securities litigation, financial disputes, AML look-backs, FCPA investigations, etc.
He has written or presented on the following topics at various organizations:
- April 3, 2019 – Published article on Money Laundering with National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA).
- May 8, 2018 – CLE Course at Becker & Poliakoff - Ethics and Law Professionals.
- March 19, 2018 – Presentation to Lawyers and Friends, Ft. Lauderdale FL – Fraud, Ponzi Schemes and Forensic Accounting.
- September 18, 2018 - Webinar – AML & CTPAT.
- October 4, 2018 – Marcum Government Symposium – Financial Crimes: Preventing Fraud in the Government Sector.
- October 24, 2018 – Marcum National Advisory Conference - AML Presentation.
- May 3, 2018 – Marcum Regional Advisory Group – FCPA & AML Training Program.
- October 18, 2017 – Marcum Government Symposium – Fraud and Internal Controls.
- August 2017 – Marcum presentation – Investigating Ponzi Schemes.
- May 6, 2015 - Online Webinar – Investigating Ponzi Schemes.
- March 2015 - IMTC National Conference, Orlando, – Managing Multiple Stakeholders – Banks Regulators and Law Enforcement.
- February 2011 – Training to Vertical Securities – AML and FCPA.
- TiE Panel Moderator, Ft Lauderdale, FL – The New Post Satyam Paradigm for doing business in India
- M&A Advisor Annual Distressed Investing Conference, West Palm Beach, FL, Panel Expert on ‘Diamonds in the Rough – How Investors Source and Examine their Turnaround Candidates
- TiE Panelist, Ft Lauderdale, FL – The Global Financial Crisis: How did it Happen? How do we Exit?
- Risk & Insurance Management Society, W. Palm Beach, FL – Insurance fraud and Workers Compensation
- JM Family Group of Companies, Deerfield Beach, FL – Finance for Finance Managers, Hedging & Derivatives
- JM Family Group of Companies, Deerfield Beach, FL – Finance for Non-Finance Managers, Hedging & Derivatives
- British Petroleum, Miami, FL – SOX, IT Security & Accounting Information Systems
- Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association (PIABA) Annual Meeting, Ft Lauderdale, FL – Alternative Remedies in Securities Litigation
- Euro-Finance 10th Annual International Treasury Management Conference, Miami, FL – Fraud Risk & Foreign Operations: The Warning Signs
- Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Ft Lauderdale, FL – Information Security and the Internet
- Florida Atlantic University, Ft Lauderdale, FL – Various courses in - Sales Taxes & the Internet, Corporate Fraud & SOX, Key to Successful SOX Compliance, SOX & IT Governance, E-Commerce & E-Fraud, Information Security, Audit & Attestation and Protecting the E-Commerce Environment, Certificates & Non-repudiation in IT, Compliance & Regulation, IT Controls & Accounting Systems Development, IT Controls & Accounting Information Systems, etc.
- ‘Ask an Expert’ TV show, Chicago, IL – Bi-weekly appearance on TV Show geared for markets, in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and Northwest Indiana on Taxes, Investments, Finance, Pensions and Financial & Estate Planning 1993-1996
HIGHLIGHTED CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
Contract Disputes & Intellectual Property
- Prepared damage calculations arising from non-performance of various contracts in an intellectual property litigation case between 2 large S&P 100 companies. Assisted the law firm on various damage scenarios and settlement discussions.
- Headed a team representing a large Chicago bank investigating loan fraud by a hotel developer with projects in 11 states and properties under development in excess of $110M.
- Assisted a law firm representing a group of investors owning a number of hotels in southeast US with fraud and embezzlement claims at certain properties in Florida and North Carolina.
Advisory Services
- Advised a large publicly held retailer in implementing procedures to streamline sales tax issues in 40 states. Installed reduced response timeline and procedures to eliminate tax penalties.
- Conducted a top down review of AML compliance at a multi-national financial institution as part of a consent decree with both the OCC and FRB. Interviewed various personnel in multiple locations, identified gaps in compliance and completed report for submission to regulators.
- Conducted and assisted a large financial institution in a foreclosure review program required by regulators under a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA).
- Conducted AML and BSA compliance & gap analysis for a large European based multinational bank, and established governance and compliance for their operations in U.S., Europe Middle East and Asia.
- Conducted an extensive document review for a large whistleblower case in NY. Performed rigorous forensic analysis and asset tracing of money transfers across various international tax havens.
- Headed and investigated various corporate white collar crime cases, AML and FCPA investigations, embezzlement cases and other financial crime cases, created reports and provided testimony as needed.
- Headed a team representing a large PE firm to investigate a $25M embezzlement at a portfolio company, and tracing of hidden assets at its various subsidiaries in the Caribbean and Central America.
- Assisted a large PE firm in a claim of potential fraud and FCPA violations at a portfolio company. Conducted a forensic examination of the financial statements, and reported to the regulators.
Securities & Financial Institutions
- Directed an engagement of a $220M hedge fund collapse and advised the court appointed trustee on various SEC infractions, resulting in multi-million dollar fines & settlements.
- Provided reports, analysis and expert testimony in excess of 250 securities related cases before arbitration and mediation panels and courts. Worked on both plaintiff and defense cases and represented individuals, brokerage firms, insurance companies, hedge funds and regulatory agencies.
- Devised sophisticated proprietary analytical models utilized in more than 40 cases involving esoteric financial issues in margins, options, hedging, swaps and derivatives.
- Assisted SEC in a fraud and embezzlement case involving issuance of unauthorized securities by a bank, leading to the subsequent conviction of the parties on a parallel criminal case along with the civil matter.
- Headed a litigation team representing various Broker-Dealers in more than 100 securities arbitration cases involving, broker misconduct, market losses, failure to hedge on a concentrated portfolio, failure to exercise due diligence, benchmarking of losses, fraud and embezzlement of investor funds. These cases investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, currencies, futures, commodities, options, swaps, PIPE’s, etc.
- Assisted a NY based law firm in a case against a large financial institution involving a client based in Latin America, whose account was embezzled of $1.5M by fraudulent wires to third parties.
- Headed a team to complete an internal audit at a U.S. subsidiary of a large Canadian bank, in the analysis of various regulatory policies and compliance of RESPA, Fair Housing Act, Fair Lending Act, etc.
Economic Damages, Insurance claims
- Led a team of forensic accountants representing insurance and reinsurance companies in various large and complex insurance claims related to the 9/11 disaster. Facilitated in the mediation of multi-million dollar claims for more than 30 large financial institutions. Headed a team of 40 members across U.S. and U.K.
- Assisted various insurance companies in more than 75 cases of fraud & embezzlement claims and loss of business income related to various natural disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes.
- Assisted a large Insurance company with disputes and loss of income claims arising out of Chinese Drywall litigation with more than 30 large builders in Florida and Louisiana.
- Directed various Insurance claims for loss of property and business income, and oversaw staff relating to the Chilean earthquake in 2010.
- Represented insurance companies to quantify theft and embezzlement claims for more than 25 cases.
- Municipalities, Government Agencies, etc.
- Represented 2 large municipalities in an internal audit engagement to monitor resort taxes and certain targeted forensic review of services provided by certain vendors.
- Prepared debt restructuring plans to assess optimal solutions for current loan portfolios, and future funding needs for certain large government agencies and a transit authority.