Keynote Speakers
Colorado Deputy Attorney General Janet Drake
Janet Stansberry Drake received her J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1996. After 10 years as a trial attorney in private practice, Ms. Drake became a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Special Prosecutions Unit at the Colorado Attorney General’s office. As an attorney in the Special Prosecutions Unit, Ms. Drake investigated and prosecuted organized and complex, multi-jurisdictional crimes. She prosecuted a diverse caseload that included human trafficking, homicides, drug trafficking, motor vehicle theft, mortgage fraud, trademark infringement and identity theft.
In 2019, Ms. Drake was promoted to Deputy of the Criminal Justice Section. In that position, she manages the Special Prosecutions Unit, the Financial Fraud Unit, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.). Ms. Drake also engages in policy work and collaborates with criminal justice stakeholders around the state. She represents the Colorado Attorney General on the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and makes recommendations on criminal justice improvement measures. Additionally, Ms. Drake continues to contribute to significant investigations and litigation handled by the Colorado Attorney General’s office.
Additionally, Ms. Drake is committed to advancing professionalism and leadership development through bar association participation. Ms. Drake is a past president of the Denver Bar Association, and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association.
Andrea Wang – Deputy United States Attorney for the District of Colorado
Andrea Wang is the Deputy United States Attorney for the District of Colorado. As Deputy United States Attorney, Ms. Wang serves as a key advisor and counselor on both policy and day-to-day operations of the office. She supervises the Appellate and Asset Recovery divisions, in addition to her work leading the office’s community outreach efforts and its diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Ms. Wang has served as a member of the executive leadership team for the United States Attorney for the District of Colorado since February 2022.
Ms. Wang joined the office in 2016 as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Affirmative Civil Enforcement section where she worked primarily on civil fraud cases under the False Claims Act, trespass actions involving public lands, and Controlled Substances Act cases. She is also a frequent presenter on Affirmative Civil Enforcement topics within DOJ and for our agency partners. In 2021, Ms. Wang received the Executive Office of United States Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance for a Civil AUSA.
Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Ms. Wang was a partner and chair of the trial group in a large Denver law firm where she litigated civil cases in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Andrea has been active in community work her entire career, including serving as a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Hearing Board, the Colorado Lawyers Committee, and the University of Colorado Law Alumni Board. She is also a former president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado.
Ms. Wang is a graduate of McGill University and University of Colorado School of Law. Ms. Wang clerked for the late Honorable Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey on the Colorado Supreme Court. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cycling.
Ken Dieffenbach, CFE, CCEP – Executive Director – Pandemic Response Accountability Committee
In June 2024, Ken Dieffenbach was appointed as the Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). He leads 52 team members in supporting and coordinating independent oversight of the over $5 trillion in pandemic relief spending, including the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, Unemployment Insurance, and some 400 other distinct programs. This responsibility includes management of a robust data analytics platform, support to over 800 investigations focused on potential fraud losses of over $2 billion, and collaboration across the federal oversight community, the U.S. Department of Justice, Tribal, state, and local and partners, the PRAC’s board of 18 inspectors general, and other stakeholders.
From 2021 to 2024, Ken served as the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Energy OIG and from 2003 to 2021, he served in various roles related to investigations and data analytics at the U.S. Department of Justice OIG.
Ken began his federal law enforcement career in 1996 with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner and is certified as a Corporate Compliance and Ethics Professional. Ken earned an undergraduate degree in business from the Citadel and a graduate degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Toby Groves
Dr. Toby Groves is a research psychologist and popular speaker specializing in elevating thinking quality, achieving breakthroughs, and unlocking untapped cognitive potential. Known for his innovative cognitive strategies and vivid mental imagery techniques, Dr. Groves has captivated audiences across industry, government, and academia. He works with professionals in critical fields such as audit, intelligence, investigation, legal, and medical sectors. Holding a PhD in psychology and an MA in industrial-organizational psychology, with additional training in forensic psychology and forensic accounting, Dr. Groves’ unique approach has made him a sought-after presenter for individuals responsible for making critical, high-stakes decisions and solving complex problems impacting our society.
Conference Speakers
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Brian Blauser joined the FBI in July 2004 as a Special Agent and currently serves as the Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) of the Complex Financial Crimes Squad in Denver, CO, which handles investigations into securities/investment fraud, frauds and swindles, health care fraud, intellectual property right matters, and money laundering facilitation. Prior to becoming the SSA, he spent most of his 20 years as an Agent investigating complex financial and cybercrimes. Brian graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and holds an inactive CPA license.
Lindsay Fryer has been a Forensic Accountant with the FBI for over 5 years. Lindsay began her career as an Audit Associate at Plante Moran (formerly known as EKS&H). After 6 years in Public Accounting Lindsay became an Internal Audit Principal at Nordstrom Card Services Inc. (formerly known as Nordstrom fsb) and was ultimately promoted to an operational role as the Partnership Program Manager when Nordstrom Card Services and TD Bank entered into a credit card program agreement. After almost 5 years at Nordstrom Card Services, Lindsay went back to her audit roots and became an Internal Audit Manager at Aimco before joining the FBI. Lindsay obtained her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master in Accountancy from the University of Denver. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Colorado Attorney General’s Office: Medicaid Fraud Unit
Gary Garcia After serving his country in the U.S. Navy as a Fire Controlman working on shipboard weapons systems, Investigator Gary Garcia attended the University of Arizona on a Naval Scholarship. Investigator Garcia has over 35 years of experience serving his City, County, State and Country. In 1997, he began his law enforcement career as a Patrolman at the Watertown Police Department in Watertown, South Dakota. In 2001, he moved back to his home state of Colorado where he began working for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) as a patrol officer. Gary worked his way into the Financial Crimes Unit as a Detective at the DCSO. In 2005, Gary began working in the Financial Fraud Unit in the Criminal Justice Section at the Colorado Office of the Attorney General. In 2016, he transferred to the COMFCU where his work now focuses on complex Medicaid fraud investigations and abuse and neglect investigations of Colorado’s most vulnerable citizens. Striving to continue his professional development, Investigator Garcia earned designation as a Certified Fraud Examiner in 2019 and designation as a Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner in 2020.
Marina Mourzina, CPA, CFE, is a Forensic Auditor and joined the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in September of 2018. Marina assists with investigations of complex criminal and civil Medicaid fraud cases and is a Unit’s expert witness in relevant areas. She received her Master of Professional Accountancy degree from MSU Denver and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Economic Crime Forensic Examiner. She has experience in accounting, tax and audit areas and previously worked for Colorado State Auditor’s Office conducting financial and compliance audits of various State departments and programs.
Colorado Attorney General’s Office: Insurance Fraud Unit
Ian Kildow started with the Colorado Office of the Attorney General in 2011 as a Criminal Investigator and focused solely on investigating various types of insurance fraud. In 2017, he was promoted to supervise the Financial Fraud Unit. In his current position, he oversees nine sworn criminal investigators dedicated to investigating insurance fraud and securities fraud. Ian frequently presents to industry and law enforcement groups on the topic of insurance fraud and criminal investigations. Ian began his career in law enforcement at the Arvada Police Department in 2004. He was promoted to detective in 2006 and remained in that position until joining the Office of the Attorney General.
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
Bradley Peters is a Special Agent for the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) in Denver, Colorado. Bradley is responsible for conducting criminal, civil, and administrative investigations to safeguard Internal Revenue Service programs and operations from fraud, waste and abuse in the Mountain Central Field Division which covers 10 states.
Bradley has worked for the United States Government for 14 years in various roles. Bradley has attended the Criminal Investigator Training program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center as well as numerous other law enforcement trainings. Bradley graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Joyce Couillard – Senior Manager, Senior and Vulnerable Investors (SVI) Investigations
Joyce Couillard is a Senior Team Manager with over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, with the last 7 years leading a team that investigates Elder Financial Exploitation. With a focus on helping our senior and vulnerable client population, Joyce’s team is responsible for investigating and stabilizing instances of financial exploitation, protecting and recovering assets, and applicable regulatory reporting. Her team also helps stabilize instances in which Diminished Financial Capacity red flags are observed.
Joyce has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Metropolitan State University. Additional licenses and certifications include: Series 7/63 and Series 9/10 licenses, Accident and Life Health Insurance licenses. She is also a Certified Financial Crime Specialist (ACFCS), and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, and spending time with her family.
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
Panelists
Peter Gonzalez – Director Anti-Fraud Investigations
Peter Gonzalez leads FINRA’s Anti-Fraud Investigations Unit (AFI) in its mission to proactively combat and mitigate fraud threats facing investors and the markets. Prior to joining AFI, Peter served as a Senior Principal Investigator conducting high complexity special investigations within FINRA’s Crypto Asset Investigations team. Peter proudly supports FINRA’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts contributing throughout his career to FINRA’s Racial Justice Task Force, Diversity Leadership Summit, and Employee Resource Groups. Peter is fluent in Spanish and holds a master’s degree in finance from Florida International University.
Michael Paskin – Manager with FINRA’S Vulnerable Adults and Seniors Team (VAST)
Michael Paskin is a Manager with FINRA’S Vulnerable Adults and Seniors Team (VAST). The mission of the team is to detect, deter and investigate financial exploitation and abuse of vulnerable adult and senior investors. Prior to joining the team in 2016, Mr. Paskin was an Assistant Director in FINRA’s New York Equities section within the Market Regulation department supervising a team responsible for conducting reviews of customer complaints and aberrational trading activity. Prior to his regulatory career, Mr. Paskin was a Specialist on the Floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Vanessa Bopp – Senior Principal Investigator, Cyber and Analytics Unit
Vanessa Bopp (she/her) joined FINRA in 2023 as a Senior Principal Investigator in FINRA’s Cyber-Enabled Fraud Unit, where she and her team focus on investigating cyber incidents impacting investors and FINRA member firms involving threat actors. Before joining FINRA, Vanessa served over 15 years as a senior intelligence analyst at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Her expertise in intelligence analysis and emerging technology played a pivotal role in investigating and preventing cyber and terrorism threats. More recently, as a threat researcher in the cybersecurity industry, Vanessa leveraged data science and threat intelligence to advise companies how they can protect themselves from adversaries. As a mentor for Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), Vanessa cultivates and supports the advancement of women in tech and cybersecurity. Vanessa holds a Masters in Public Policy as well as the Intelligence Community Advanced Analyst Program (ICAAP) certification.
Dexter Soloman – Senior Principal Investigator, Anti-Money Laundering Investigations
Dexter Soloman joined FINRA in 2017 after several years with BONY Mellon as an Investment Accountant. Over the last four years, Dexter has investigated complex cases involving trade-based money laundering, new account fraud, ACH/ACAT fraud, prepaid cards and digital payments, and other AML related typologies.
Dexter currently works as an Investigator in FINRA’s AML – Special Investigations Unit and provides guidance and training to FINRA staff around the country.
Dexter holds a BS in Finance from Barry University and an MBA from Shippensburg University. Dexter has been CAMs certified since 2019.