James E. Whitaker, CFE, CPP

James E. Whitaker possesses more than 35 years of hands-on experience in law enforcement, management, training, and private sector investigative experience. He received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice administration and a master's in business management (with an emphasis on organizational design) both from Myers University in Cleveland, Ohio. He's a graduate of the FBI National Academy, National Crime Prevention Institute, and ATF Insurance Fire Academy. Besides the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), he holds the designations of Certified Protection Professional (CPP), and Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator (CIFI). He is board certified in Security Management and serves on both the Investigations and Insurance Fraud Councils for ASIS International. He has served on the Board of Regents for ACFE and is currently an adjunct faculty member as well.

He served as the Executive Director of the International Association of Arson Investigators in Washington, D.C. and now owns and manages The Whitaker Group, LLC, an investigative services, training, and security consulting firm headquartered in Ohio. Prior to launching his own firm he served as an insurance executive with Westfield Group. He directed the special investigation unit among other home office operational divisions. Those included Subrogation; Legal Support; Medical Bill Review; Claims Automation; Agency Claims Service; Bodily Injury Technology; and Administrative Staffing.

Prior to joining Westfield, he retired as a lieutenant from the Forest Park, Ohio Police Department after serving as commander of the detective division. He later served as a full-time police academy instructor and corporate security director for L.J. Hooker International, a shopping mall developer headquartered in Sydney, Australia

Mr. Whitaker has conducted training both nationally and internationally, and has been a featured guest and instructor for many organizations including ACFE, ASIS International, the National Fire Academy for ATF, and the Association of Special Investigation Units. He has served as a special news consultant for FOX television regarding fire scene investigations and for ABC News as an insurance fraud consultant.

Services Offered:

• Internal Investigations

• White Collar/Financial Crimes

• Audits

• Money Laundering Inquiries

• Polygraphs

• Insurance Investigations

• Mortgage Fraud Investigations

• Due Diligence

• Security Vulnerability Assessments

• Undercover Operations (limited)

• Training Assistance (anti-fraud; interviewing; audit reviews; identity theft; etc.)