Speakers - 2020 Joint Conference
Our conference Speakers are a diverse, talented, and dynamic group of individuals who all have significant experience in their areas of expertise. This page includes the bios of our 2020 speakers and we would like to thank them for volunteering to present.
Anthony M. DiPaolo, CFE, Deputy Executive Director, Chief of Investigations, Insurance Fraud Bureau of Massachusetts
Mr. DiPaolo joined the Insurance Fraud Bureau in 1992, he has been the Chief of Investigations since 2006 and was appointed the Deputy Executive Director in March of 2019. He is credited with developing and managing the IFB’s premium fraud unit since its inception in 1994. Prior to joining the IFB, Mr. DiPaolo was with the U. S. Air Force for ten years as a Special Agent, concentrating on fraud investigations. He has extensive experience in developing fraud detection programs. Mr. DiPaolo earned his Bachelor of Science Degree, in Criminal Justice from Wilmington College and his Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. Mr. DiPaolo is an adjunct instructor at Northeastern University in their criminal justice program and has been since 1996; he teaches courses on white collar crime and criminal investigations. Mr. DiPaolo is a frequent speaker on a variety of insurance fraud topics. He is a member of the National Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Kevin Rawlins, Director Customer Engagement at Verisk (ISO)
Kevin Rawlins is the Director of Customer Experience at ISO ClaimSearch. He has been with ISO for five years. Before joining ClaimSearch Kevin was a claim and project manager. Kevin grew up in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and now lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He works closely with ISO’s user community on a wide range of claim technology and analytics initiatives. Kevin is involved with process improvement initiatives, system integrations, new functionality roll-outs and customer webcasts.
Paul Mullin, PE, CFEI District Manager of Envista Forensics
Paul Mullin, PE, CFEI, Envista Forensics’ District Manager, has over 25 years of electrical engineering experience with a unique focus in designing and testing electrical equipment and electronic systems for the HVAC and marine industries. Paul performs origin and cause investigations and failure analyses on electronic equipment losses, including renewable energy generation equipment, HVAC systems, computer, communications, and medical and power distribution equipment.
Robert D. Molnar, Owner/Vice President of Lemieux & Associates
In August of 2008, Bob joined Lemieux & Associates as a Partner and Vice President. Bob brought with him over twenty-two years of experience in the private investigation arena with the major focus being on insurance investigations. Before joining Lemieux & Associates he was Vice President, Operations for the two largest investigative agencies in the U.S. and was directly responsible for over 400 Field Investigators in the United States and over 200 Contract Investigators abroad. Prior to that he served in the United States Navy and was a Police Officer in Connecticut, Deputy Sheriff in Colorado and worked with the U.S. Marshal Service.
Bob has worked as a consultant and adviser to many insurance and investigative firms over his long career. Bob majored in Criminal Justice at Western Connecticut State University. He has taught and successfully completed hundreds of hours of advanced continuing training in the areas of investigations and management and is a certified CEU instructor for several states.
Erin Bracken, CFE, AIC, SIU Investigator with Zurich North America Claims
Erin Bracken, CFE, AIC, SIU Investigator with Zurich North America Claims. Erin obtained a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in 2003. After working as a private investigator, she began her career in the insurance industry in 2004. Over the years, she has held positions as a claims case handler, senior corporate compliance investigator and field investigator. Erin has given many presentations to claims staff and insured’s. Erin is currently the President of the NEIASIU and a Regional Director for NE IAATI.
Bonnie Parenteau, RN
Ms. Parenteau has been a registered nurse in clinical practice and insurance case management. This led to a position created in Special Investigations on a Major Case Team, focusing on provider fraud. She has worked in association with state agencies, fraud bureaus, FBI Healthcare Fraud Working Groups, and NICB, to identify fraud, waste and abuse in the practice and business of medicine.
Credentials: RN licenses in NH, VT and MA, and certifications: AHFI, (Accredited Healthcare Fraud Investigator), FCLS (Fraud Claim Law Specialist), CIFI (Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator) and CCM (Certified Case Manager).
She has presented at claim conferences for claim adjusters, SIU’s, and law enforcement groups (Federal, State, and local), at the IFM (Insurance Fraud Management), IASIU (International Assoc. of Special Investigators), NEIASIU (New England IASIU) and for individual insurance companies.
Melissa Sweeney, Investigative Analyst, Crum & Forster
Melissa Sweeney is an Investigative Analyst for Crum & Forster®, which provides specialty and standard commercial lines insurance products through admitted and surplus line insurance companies. Melissa specializes in social media and background desktop investigations. She earned her Certified Claims Professional designation in the school of Insurance Fraud this past September from the CLM Alliance. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice at Arizona State University online and received her undergraduate degree from Ramapo College in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. Crum & Forster® is a registered trademark of United States Fire Insurance Company.
Timothy E. Dowd Senior Consultant/Vehicle Accident Reconstructionist Rimkus Consulting Group
Mr. Dowd is a Senior Consultant/Vehicle Accident Reconstructionist with Rimkus Consulting Group. He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. He retired from the Massachusetts State Police after 25 years of service, holding the rank of Lieutenant. For 18 years, he was assigned to the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section. As a Lieutenant, he was the Section Commander of the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section with four sergeants and 19 troopers reporting to him.
Mr. Dowd has investigated over 1000 collisions and has reconstructed more than 500 serious injury and fatal motor vehicle crashes involving passenger vehicles, commercial motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles. He has testified numerous times as an expert witness in Massachusetts District and Superior Courts, as well as United States District Court. He is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR) and held the position of Board Member on the ACTAR Governing Board of Directors.
Since 2002, Mr. Dowd has been a certified Crash Data Retrieval Technician and Analyst. He is also a Crash Data Retrieval Technician Trainer.
Mr. Dowd is a certified FAA drone pilot and is proficient in utilizing drone technology to map collision and crime scenes.
Attorney Jack Parenteau, Parenteau & O’Hara, PC
Jack Parenteau, Founder/Partner, Parenteau & O’Hara, P.C. Jack has investigated, managed, litigated SIU, and insurance cases of all types for many years. He has handled SIU cases from first notice of loss through appellate court decisions. He has developed strategy for handling medical fraud cases locally and as national coordinating counsel. He has an active practice handling Insurance Defense, Bad Faith, SIU, and Subrogation cases throughout New England. Jack has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with honors from Northeastern University, he is a graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, and he received his Juris Doctorate from Massachusetts School of Law where he was a Member of Law Review.
Jack is admitted and a licensed attorney in Federal and State courts in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Maine Bar Association, New Hampshire Bar Association, and the Vermont Bar Association. Jack is an active member of the National Association of Subrogation Professionals, he is General Counsel to NEIASIU, and was General Counsel to NEAIFI.
Tammy Noyes Renkawitz
Tammy is an attorney licensed in MA. She has appeared before the MA state and federal courts specializing in insurance defense. Since 2012 she has worked as a SIU Medical Specialist for Hanover Insurance Company in Worcester MA where she focuses on combating medical fraud nationwide in the areas of PIP, BI and Workers Compensation. Previously, she was a litigation associate specializing in PIP Fraud at the law firm of Smith & Brink in Braintree, MA.
Tammy is a graduate of Wheaton College, Norton, MA, Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and Tulane School of Law, New Orleans, LA where she acted as a guest lecturer in Evidence and the Daubert standard on admissibility of expert testimony. She holds the CPCU and AIC (WC) designations and is a member of IASIU, NEIASIU and the CPCU Society.
Detective Brian O'Connor, CFCI, CCCI Cyber/Electronic Crimes Unit - Financial Crimes Cambridge Police Department
Detective OConnor has been a member of the Cambridge Police Department since 2000 and a member of the IAFCI since 2010. He has been a Detective since 2008 and has received the Department’s Detective of the Year award twice in his career. He was also the recipient of the 2010 IAFCI New England Chapters Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award. He is a highly recognized investigator and maintains the CFCI and CCCI certifications. He is the creator of the Fraud Guide, which is currently in version 10 and has also had a version adapted by the IAFCI. He has worked with Financial Investigators and other numerous Law Enforcement colleagues on large cases which have led to successful prosecutions, both on the State and Federal levels. He has trained numerous Financial Investigators and Law Enforcement officers at regional, national and International training sessions.
Dennis Lyons, SD Lyons
Dennis Lyons is the owner of S. D. Lyons, Inc., a company that specializes in automotive forensics and accident reconstruction. For 30 years, S. D. Lyons has provided expert services to the insurance industry, attorneys, and law enforcement. Mr. Lyons has specialized expertise and is qualified as an expert in vehicle fire analysis, vehicle theft analysis, mechanical/electronic diagnostics, and water damage claims involving autos, trucks, heavy equipment, and RVs.
Bruce Levine, PT, MS, OCS
Bruce Levine, PT, MS, OCS graduated from Springfield College in 1988 with his MS in physical therapy. He has practiced physical therapy for more than 30 years with an emphasis in the areas of sport, orthopedic, and occupational rehabilitation. He is a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and currently practices at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
In addition to his clinical practice, he consults within the insurance industry and with State and Federal Agencies in the areas of health care fraud, waste, and abuse, the utilization of supportive personnel in rehabilitation, licensure and regulation in physical and occupational therapy, peer review, and credentialing of internationally educated physical therapists.
Mr. Levine is the former Chairman of the Board of Allied Health Professions, the licensing authority for physical therapists, occupational therapists, and athletic trainers for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Stephen Quartino, President of Discreet Investigative Solutions and Partner with Claim Advantage
Stephen Quartino is a career Federal Law Enforcement Officer with 34 years’ experience. On December 31, 2019, he retired as a senior Special Agent from the United States Treasury Department. Mr. Quartino has been assigned to the Boston Field Division and the New York Field Division. From 2015 to 2017, he was assigned to the Internal Affairs Division, Washington DC. Throughout his career Mr. Quartino’s work resulted in more than 100 criminal prosecutions.
Mr. Quartino has a Bachelor of Science Degree and Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. Mr. Quartino is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Mr. Quartino has been assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Anti-Terrorism Training Counsel, and the Bank Secrecy Act Task Force. During 2018 and 2019, Mr. Quartino taught basic Special Agents while detailed to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Mr. Quartino is a Firearms Instructor, Use of Force Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and an Active Threat/Shooter Instructor.
Mr. Quartino received 22 Performance Awards, 7 Special Act Awards and the Albert Gallitan Award during his career at the United States Department of Treasury.
During 2009, Mr. Quartino developed and implemented the Associates of Science Degree and Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice at New England Institute of Technology. Mr. Quartino was an adjunct instructor at Gibbs College from 2003 to 2009. Mr. Quartino is an adjunct instructor at New England Institute of Technology from 2009 to present. Mr. Quartino has guest lectured at Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University, and the University of Rhode Island. Mr. Quartino is now the President of Discreet Investigative Solutions and has partnered with Claim Advantage.
Attorney Marykate Williams, Morrison Mahoney, LLP (Boston Office)
Marykate Williams is an associate in the Boston office of Morrison Mahoney. She concentrates her practice in the areas of auto liability, insurance coverage disputes, insurance fraud, and the defense of bad faith claims. Marykate graduated from New England Law | Boston. While in law school, Marykate served as an Editor for the New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement.
Attorney Doug McInnis, Morrison Mahoney, LLP (Boston Office)
Attorney Douglas McInnis is Of Counsel in the Boston office of Morrison Mahoney, representing some of the nation’s leading insurers in a variety of civil litigation matters, including bodily injury, wrongful death, dram-shop, products liability, and complex business litigation. Doug also operates out of the Fall River, Springfield and Worcester offices of Morrison Mahoney. Doug’s practice also focuses on insurance fraud investigation and litigation, with a concentration in the areas of healthcare fraud and No-fault insurance fraud. Prior to his legal career, Doug was an actor. He has appeared in numerous national commercials and television programs including Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Sex & the City.
Dave Stadolnik, Law Offices of David C. Stadolnik, LLC
Dave Stadolnik is an experienced litigation / SIU attorney whose practice includes all phases of investigation, discovery, motion practice, alternate dispute resolution, and litigation on behalf of insurance carriers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Attorney Stadolnik has extensive experience in the areas of pre-suit investigations, motor vehicle tort cases, construction liability, commercial general liability, products liability, retail premises liability, wrongful death claims, and catastrophic injury. In addition, Attorney Stadolnik is experienced with investigating and litigating fraudulent insurance claims cases, including medical provider fraud, homeowner’s claims, vehicle and dwelling fire losses, theft losses, staged accidents and rental claims.
Attorney Stadolnik was first admitted to practice in 1987 and is admitted to practice in state and U.S. District Courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well as the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Court of Military Appeals. He is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association (RIBA), the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) Defense Counsel of Rhode Island (DCRI), New England Association of Insurance Fraud Investigators (NEAIFI), International Association of Special Investigations Units (IASIU), and the New England Chapter of International Association of Special Investigations Units (NEIASIU) and the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI). Attorney Stadolnik is a former member of the FBI Medical Care Provider Fraud Working Group and the CLM Insurance Fraud Committee.
A graduate of The College of the Holy Cross, Attorney Stadolnik earned his J.D. at the New England School of Law. He served as a Military Prosecutor with the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) in Newport, Rhode Island from 1987 until 1991.
Paul Mahoney, Mahoney and Associates
Mr. Mahoney has been conducting insurance claims investigations for more than thirty years. He has been involved in determining the origin and cause of property and casualty losses in order to identify and address issues of coverage, liability and subrogation. He has managed thousands of investigations in coordination with numerous industry experts. Mr. Mahoney has been involved in all phases of the investigation process and has testified in civil and criminal proceedings in state and federal courts. He has been a presenter at many insurance seminars as well as related industry conferences. He is a member of the National Association of Fire Investigators and the International Association of Arson Investigators. Mr. Mahoney is a licensed private investigator in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Brendhan Harris, CFE; CIFI - Chief Fraud Investigator for the New Hampshire Insurance Department
Brendhan Harris is the Chief Fraud Investigator for the New Hampshire Insurance Department--Fraud Unit. Mr. Harris conducts criminal investigations on all matters related to insurance crimes throughout the State of New Hampshire. These investigations include criminal acts being committed by parties to a claim, insurance producers, and medical providers. He assists in the prosecution of criminal cases at both the state and federal levels, and assists other law enforcement agencies on matters involving fraud. Mr. Harris has taught classes at a variety of fraud seminars, the NH police academy, the Virginia State Police academy, and Southern NH University.
Mr. Harris is a retired Master Police Officer / Detective from the Virginia Beach Police Department. He also spent nine (9) years as an SIU Investigator working in both the Property & Casualty and Healthcare fields.
He holds the designations of Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator (CIFI).
Heidi Jordan, Senior Special Agent, National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)
Heidi Jordan was hired by the National Insurance Crime Bureau in 1994 as a Special Agent, and was promoted to Senior Special Agent in 2002. Heidi is assigned to the Northeast Region office, with investigative responsibilities in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, including some Canadian cross-border cases. Working with insurance industry investigators, and law enforcement at the local state and federal levels, Heidi’s case investigations involve vehicle fraud and theft, commercial fraud and theft, medical fraud, heavy equipment, marine and off-road vehicles, cloning, property fraud such as burglaries and arson, and export fraud. Prior to joining NICB, Heidi also gained eight (8) years of experience within the insurance industry, handling claims involving complex coverage issues, fatalities and fraud. Heidi is also an instructor of Vehicle Theft, Title Fraud and Vehicle Identification for the NH Police Standards and Training Council and the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. Heidi was the 2014-2015 President of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI,) an organization of over 3,000 vehicle theft investigators from around the world; and has served on their Boards since the late 1990s.
IAATI Certifications - Level I and Level II Auto Theft Investigator
Recipient of the Roger Overton Award for Vehicle Identification (2005) – International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, Northeast Chapter.
Mike Merolli, Accident Reconstructionist at Mapfre Insurance
Mike Merolli is a retired Police Officer from Massachusetts and is currently employed as an Accident Recontructionist in the Special Investigative Unit at MAPFRE Insurance. Mike is ACTAR Accredited and was Certified as an Illinois Police Crash Reconstruction Specialist. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Massachusetts at Lowell and has been investigating and reconstructing crashes for over 30 years. He has been staging and conducting crash testing for more than 10 years.
Attorney Audrey Parr, Parr Law, P.C.
Attorney Parr is the founder of Parr Law, P.C., where she represents insurers in all aspects of insurance defense and fraud-related matters, including pre-trial investigations, EUOs, coverage issues, litigation, and proactive recovery matters. Since 1991, Attorney Parr has specialized in the handling of suspected fraudulent injury and damage claims relating to auto, PIP, homeowners, CGL, medical provider, and liability coverages on behalf of personal and commercial carriers. Before joining the insurance industry, she spent twelve years as a Massachusetts prosecutor in the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office prosecuting homicides, serial rapists, arsonists, and insurance fraudsters. Attorney Parr is a regular lecturer on insurance fraud issues at national and regional conferences including Insurance Fraud Management, International Association of Special Investigations Units, New England Association of Insurance Fraud Investigators, and International Association of Auto Theft Investigators. She is a cum laude graduate of New England School of Law and Boston University.
Suzette Cavanaugh, Senior Investigator Pilgrim Insurance, Special Investigations Unit
Suzette is currently employed as a Senior Investigator with Pilgrim Insurance Company in their Special Investigations Unit where she has worked for 20 years. After receiving her BA degree from Suffolk University, she embarked on her career by joining the Massachusetts Attorney General's Public Protection Bureau as an investigator where she was involved in multi-faceted areas of investigation including Civil rights investigations. After leaving the Attorney General’s Office, she became an SIU investigator conducting a variety of insurance investigations. She is a Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator (CIFI), is a founding member of the New England Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigation Units (NEIASIU) and she currently serves on the NEIASIU board as a Director and Seminar/Speaker Coordinator. She is also currently the President of the New England Association of Insurance Fraud Investigators (NEAIFI), and is a member of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI) as well as a member of Claims Litigation Management (CLM).
Attorney Barry S. Rothschild, Parenteau & O’Hara, PC
Attorney Rothschild is a graduate of Tufts University in Medford, MA (B.A., 2010) and Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, MA (J.D., 2013). An attorney since 2013, his practice focuses on SIU and subrogation cases involving issues of auto, products liability, PIP/MEDPAY, uninsured/underinsured, breach of contract, and cases involving municipal, state, and federal entities.
Prior to joining Parenteau & O’Hara, P.C. in July 2017, Attorney Rothschild was an associate at a law firm in Massachusetts and New York, where he focused on litigation for public utility companies.
Attorney Rothschild has experience in civil litigation matters from initial review of a case, drafting complaints, all types of discovery including, interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions and depositions, both defending and conducting them, trial preparation, and trials.
EDUCATION
Northeastern University Law School, Juris Doctor, 2013
Tufts University, B.A. Sociology, 2010
BAR/COURT ADMISSIONS
Admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, 2013.
Admitted to the New Hampshire Bar, 2019.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Massachusetts Bar Association
New Hampshire Bar Association
National Association of Subrogation Professionals
Attorney Timothy W. Tapply, Brand & Tapply, LLC
Timothy W. Tapply, founder and managing partner of Brand & Tapply, LLC, represents insurance clientele in all phases of first and third-party coverage and litigation. Brand & Tapply, LLC specializes in combating suspect claims throughout the United States in virtually all lines of insurance. Mr. Tapply has trial experience before state and federal courts in complex coverage litigation, automobile, commercial and homeowner fraud and arson cases, as well as medical provider, bad faith and extra-contractual liability matters. Mr. Tapply is actively involved in the insurance industry’s education efforts and has served as a panelist and lecturer at seminars and conferences sponsored by international, national and local insurance organizations.
Attorney Shauna Sullivan, Smith & Brink, P.C.
Ms. Sullivan is a graduate of the University of Vermont where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree. She later obtained her law degree from New England Law Boston. Ms. Sullivan is a shareholder with Smith & Brink, P.C. She is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation Group which litigates insurance fraud and abuse actions. Ms. Sullivan is admitted to practice in several state and federal jurisdictions and her practice focuses on insurance defense litigation, insurance fraud matters and civil RICO law.
Attorney Bruce Medoff, Smith & Brink, P.C.
Attorney Medoff is a Shareholder of Smith & Brink, P.C. He has focused his practice on insurance defense, special investigations issues, and bad faith claims while continuing his practice of criminal defense, construction litigation, appellate advocacy, and general civil litigation, including commercial litigation and debt collection. Mr. Medoff has engaged in a wide range of insurance defense work, including motor vehicle collisions, landlord/tenant, premises liability and arson. He has prosecuted civil R.I.C.O. actions on behalf of insurers in Federal Court. Attorney Medoff is a graduate of Boston University Law School and he has written and lectured extensively on insurance and legal issues to many organizations.
Attorney William Tait, Jr., Smith & Brink, P.C.
Attorney Tait is a Shareholder, Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of Smith & Brink, P.C. and Managing Attorney of its Springfield office. Mr. Tait’s practice concentrates in fraud investigations, insurance coverage and the defense of bad faith claims. Mr. Tait handles a wide array of cases, including personal injury, property damage, fraud cases to include staged accidents, theft cases, arson, and property/commercial claims. Mr. Tait also is involved in cases involving medical provider fraud. Attorney Tait is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School. He has also been a frequent speaker at seminars for clients on both local and national levels.
Captain Paul Zipper, Ph.D, Mass State Police
Captain Zipper has been with the Massachusetts State Police for 31 years. He earned his Ph.D. from Northeastern University and an M.S. degree in Justice from American University. He has a B.S in Criminal Justice and a B.S. in Media Systems and Management from Westfield State University. Zipper is currently the Section Commander of the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit operating out of the State Fire Marshal’s Office. He has conducted hundreds of fire investigations over the years, in the process gaining an expertise in witness and suspect interview and interrogation techniques. His work with the Lawrence Arson Task Force, which began in 1992, brought him national (and international) attention. He has lectured in Australia, Canada and The United Kingdom. He has taught the arson investigation class at the FBI National Academy. The Massachusetts State Police Academy has utilized his training program on interview and interrogation techniques. He has also been part of the development team that developed the basic and advanced fire investigation courses at the Massachusetts Fire Academy. As a consultant for the Tri-Data Corporation, Zipper conducted comprehensive evaluations of arson and fire investigation units in major cities across the country. He served as a technical advisor with the United States Fire Administration through the National Fire Academy on a project, which developed a course in Interview Interrogation and Courtroom Testimony Techniques. He was a technical advisor with the USFA on a Juvenile Firesetter Curriculum. As a liaison for the FIU with the Massachusetts State Coalition for Juvenile Firesetter Programs, Captain Zipper helped draft program standards and guidelines for screening interviews and referral procedures, and has worked to formalize the interface between law enforcement and the multi-disciplinary intervention programs. He is a contributing author of the text, Firesetting in Children and Youth: A Multidisciplinary Practical Handbook. In 2004 He was part of the team that developed and delivered a curriculum titled “the investigation of youth set fires” for the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI). He has also co-authored an article titled “Children and Arson: The Importance of Early Intervention in Juvenile Firesetting:” for The FBI in their Law Enforcement Bulletin which was published in April of 2005. Zippers most recent publication is as a contributing author of the text, Law Enforcement Ethics: Classic and Contemporary Issues.
Roy A. Mura, Esq. Mura & Storm
Roy Mura is the founder and managing member of the seven-lawyer firm Mura & Storm, PLLC, headquartered in Buffalo, New York. He is a 1986 law graduate of University of Buffalo School of Law and a 1983 linguistics degree graduate of SUNY at Binghamton. The author of the widely read and award-winning Coverage Counsel blog (nycoveragecounsel.blogspot.com), Mr. Mura’s practice includes insurance coverage analysis and litigation, first-party property, third-party liability, auto/UM/UIM, no-fault, fraud and arson defense work for numerous property and casualty insurers on a state-wide and regional basis. He has successfully litigated and tried numerous insurance fraud and coverage cases for insurers through trial and appeal in New York and writes and speaks regularly and frequently for insurers, adjusters, and investigators nationwide on various issues relating to insurance coverage, fraud, Internet of Things connected devices, social media research for claims, underwriting and fire investigations, “bad faith” and the defense of first- and third-party claims. He is a member of and proudly serves as General Counsel to the New York State Chapter of the International Association of Special Investigation Units. He is also a member of the International Association of Arson Investigators, New York State Fire Investigators State Chapter No. 23, several local claims associations and the New York State and Erie County bar associations. He has been listed in the New York Super Lawyers – Upstate Edition since 2012, and maintains the highest possible AV (Preeminent) rating with Martindale-Hubbell. He is married, has three children, four grandchildren, and all but gave up golf several years ago to maintain his “bass thumb” while pursuing his avocation for all-season fresh and salt water fishing.
Jake Creps, Project Manager for Skopenow
Mr. Creps is an open source intelligence specialist with an emphasis on digital investigations. He’s held a variety of positions in the public and private sector focusing on different aspects of security intelligence. He’s now the product manager at Skopenow assisting in the continuous improvement of the platform’s automated intelligence process.