White Collar Crime Experts 2025

Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA, is a nationally recognized federal prison expert. He serves as Managing Director at Elizabeth Franklin-Best P.C. and Zoukis Consulting Group, where his federal criminal defense practice focuses on federal appeals, post-conviction relief, compassionate release, clemency, and Bureau of Prisons policy matters. Mr. Zoukis is the author of six books on federal criminal defense and prison policy, including The Habeas Citebook: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel (Prison Legal News Publishing, 3rd ed. forthcoming 2025), Federal Criminal Defendant’s Handbook (Middle Street Publishing, forthcoming 2025), Directory of Federal Prisons (2020), Federal Prison Handbook (2017), Prison Education Guide (2017), and College for Convicts (2014). His Federal Prison Handbook received numerous awards, including the Reader’s Favorite Book Awards Gold Medal, the Next Generation Indie Book Award, and the Chanticleer Book Awards Instructional & Insightful Nonfiction Award. College for Convicts received the Eric Hoffer Book Award’s Montaigne Medal for the most thought-provoking book of the year. Mr. Zoukis earned his Juris Doctor from the University of California, Davis School of Law, where he served as Articles Editor of the UC Davis Law Review and received both the Witkin Award and Reynoso Award for Academic Excellence. He also holds an MBA and a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Adams State University. Major media outlets regularly seek his expertise. He has been quoted in CNN, Fox News, ABC News, Associated Press, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Bloomberg Law, and Vice News, among others. He has contributed articles to the Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Prison Legal News, and Criminal Legal News. Mr. Zoukis’s Prison Law Blog was named a Top Law Blawg by the American Bar Association, and he was a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Award. He has assisted hundreds of clients with federal prison preparation, in-prison advocacy, and reentry matters, and is considered a leading voice on federal prison policy nationwide. Learn more about Chris at https://federalcriminaldefenseattorney.com/about/christopher-zoukis-federal-prison-consultant/

Ray Johnson is a retired FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, attorney, and educator whose career spans the courtroom, the classroom, and the command post. Over nearly 30 years in state and federal law enforcement, he has led complex criminal investigations, commanded SWAT operations, overseen national shooting‑incident reviews, and managed critical incidents and mass‑casualty events across the United States. Johnson is a veteran member of the Southern Nevada law enforcement community, with deep senior‑level experience coordinating federal, state, and local responses to both crises and major planned events. He has delivered high‑impact training on active shooter behavior, ethics, and leadership to thousands of public‑safety leaders and is frequently called in after major incidents to help agencies navigate culture, accountability, and public trust. As Division Counsel in multiple FBI field offices, Johnson provided legal oversight on investigations, ethics, and compliance and helped shape the FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide. Internationally, he has mediated between Ukrainian anti‑corruption agencies and advised on governance and rule‑of‑law issues during Operation Enduring Freedom, earning recognition from the U.S. Ambassador for advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives. Now an adjunct faculty member at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, he focuses on how law, leadership, and policy perform under real‑world pressure. His research and writing center on use of force, investigative accountability, organizational ethics, and the intersection of policing, immigration, and civil rights. He regularly helps journalists and the public make sense of complex law‑enforcement issues. He is coauthoring two forthcoming Criminal Investigation and Criminology texts as well as a companion leadership playbook for front‑line leaders working in high‑pressure, high‑visibility environments. Johnson’s honors include multiple high‑level executive leadership awards from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, as well as recognition from U.S. diplomatic leadership for international anti‑corruption work. He continues to consult with courts, law‑enforcement agencies, and organizations on use of force, crisis leadership, and organizational culture under scrutiny.

Chris Berg – Expert in Law Enforcement, Undercover Operations, and Crime Fiction Chris Berg is a retired police detective and award-winning author, offering expert insights into crime and policing, drawn from over two decades of law enforcement experience. A third-generation lawman, Chris began his career in 1977 in the Bay Area and quickly advanced to detective grade. He excelled in vice and intelligence, ultimately finding his niche as an undercover narcotics detective. Chris thrived conducting hand-to-hand drug buys, investigating clandestine labs, and adopting the necessary undercover personas. Later, he became a narcotics field training officer and served as a court-certified expert witness in narcotics investigations. After an injury, Chris pivoted to a corporate career, operating across the globe with key engagements in India, Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa, etc, and often associations with MI5, MI6, and most of the US alphabet agencies. Currently, Chris co-authors the acclaimed Night Police series with Paul James Smith. The series has earned both a Claymore Award and Page Turner Award finalist recognition, with his authentic crime thrillers inspired by real events. Contact Chris via nightpolice.com or +1 408-564-9994 for expert commentary on policing, undercover work, or crime fiction.

Mark Winter is a seasoned art certification expert, fine art appraiser, and expert witness, with over two decades of experience in the global art market. A former associate at Sotheby’s.com and a senior specialist at Art Authentication Experts, Inc. Since 2003, he has worked on cases spanning authentication, attribution, appraisal, and the investigation of forgery, theft, and rediscovery. Mark and his team regularly collaborate with journalists and media across print, digital, radio, and film, providing expert insight into art authentication, attribution, and market trends. Their commentary has been featured in investigative reports, documentaries, news segments, and podcasts worldwide. Offering rapid fact verification (often within 24–48 hours) and multilingual interviews in 21 languages, Mark supports timely stories with accuracy and depth.

I am litigator, whistleblower attorney, and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). My practice focuses on cases involving healthcare fraud, financial fraud, anti-money laundering (Bank Secrecy Act) failures, and sanctions violations. While based in Philadelphia, my practice is national in scope.

Sipes has a lifelong professional commitment to the criminal justice system, starting as a police officer and working his way through top positions within the justice system. He retired as the Senior Public Affairs Specialist and Social Media Manager for a federal criminal justice agency. He advised presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Sipes graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a Certificate of Advanced Study in Liberal Arts. He received a Master of Science degree in Criminology from the University of Baltimore. Sipes was a successful media affairs and social media manager with 35 years of national and state government experience; he accumulated multiple awards, including best government customer service, best use of technology, best teamwork, top awards for podcasting and audio, and many first-place awards for television hosting and production. Sipes has over 50 national and regional awards. He is the author of “Success With the Media,” available at Amazon. Sipes managed the most popular audio and video podcasting and social media site in the US for select crime and justice issues; he created the first state and federal podcasting series and social media sites. Sipes was the primary spokesperson for crime prevention for the federal government for 10 years as the Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention for the National Criminal Justice Reference Service and the Director of Information Services for the National Crime Prevention Council (both funded by the US Department of Justice). He co-managed the most successful public service ad campaign in the nation (McGruff the Crime Dog-Take a Bite Out of Crime). He was a Security Planner for the United States Senate, Sergeant at Arms. He started a plan to secure every Senate office beyond Washington, D.C. He was the longest-lasting Director of Public Information for the State of Maryland (Maryland Department of Public Safety); he was a former Associate Professor for Criminology and Public Affairs-University of Maryland. Sipes effectively managed thousands of media contacts and appeared on every national television and radio network multiple times; every national newspaper and wire service quoted him. He created successful state media campaigns; produced a unique and emulated style of proactive public relations; wrote and managed hundreds of publications; went from 20 to 50 percent approval in agency public opinion; he has vast experience in big-complicated agencies.

Clinton Ford Billups Jr. is an entertainment expert consultant and witness who based on his 50-plus years of experience and specialized knowledge in the entertainment industry advises entertainment industry professionals and their attorneys by evaluating cases, providing expert affidavits, opinions, reports, and depositions, and testifying in administrative or arbitration hearings and in court on entertainment trade customs, usage and practices related to artists, personal managers, talent agents, and others engaged in entertainment, media and the performing arts. Mr. Billupswas elected in 1988 to membership in the National Conference of Personal Managers Inc. (NCOPM), the nation's oldest trade association committed to the advancement of personal managers and their clients. He has served as NCOPM National President since 2002.

William Berg is a securities expert at DayTrading.com with more than 20 years of experience reviewing brokers, trading platforms and the rules that sit behind them. With a legal and financial background, he has audited countless brokers and investigated thousands of trading scams and clone firms, giving him a sharp eye for what separates a trustworthy platform from a costly mistake. William holds an LL.M. from the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law, where he focused on securities law and international trade. He later studied at Moscow State University, adding to a background that blends law, business administration and cross border finance. That mix gives him a solid grip on both the legal fine print and the real world mechanics of online trading. Before and alongside his editorial work, William consulted on IPOs in the Nordic market, worked with fintech startups in payments and point of sale systems, and provided localization for leading forex trading software. He has also spent years as a writer and fact checker for financial publications, using that experience to test brokers, compare trading tools and explain complicated topics without turning them into legal soup. As an active market participant, William has placed thousands of private and test trades across forex, CFDs, options and stocks, while testing different trading platforms and apps. His practical experience, paired with a deep knowledge of securities law and broker regulation, makes him well placed to comment on broker safety, platform quality, trading risks and the standards traders should expect before putting money on the line.

Warren Pulley brings 40 years of threat assessment and crisis management expertise across military, law enforcement, diplomatic, corporate, and educational environments. As founder of CrisisWire, he provides professional threat assessment services to organizations throughout Hawaii, Nationally and Internationally. Credentials: BTAM (Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management) trained - University of Hawaii West Oahu 20+ FEMA certifications (IS-906, IS-907, IS-915, complete ICS/NIMS) Former LAPD Veteran Police Officer (12 years) 6+ years U.S. Embassy Baghdad security operations (zero incidents under daily threat) Former Director of Campus Safety, Chaminade University Former California Private Investigator 7 years U.S. Air Force (nuclear security & paralegal) Published Authority: Author of five books on threat assessment: The Prepared Leader, Threat Assessment Handbook, Campus Under Siege, Locked Down: The Access Control Playbook, and Uniformed Silence. Published researcher with 9+ peer-reviewed papers on threat assessment, workplace violence, and crisis management. Media-Ready Expertise: Available for expert commentary on threat assessment, school safety, workplace violence prevention, crisis management, executive protection, insider threats, and emergency preparedness. Find CrisisWire online at https://rypulmedia.wixsite.com/crisiswire

Dr. Catherine Shaffer is a scientist and researcher whose work focuses on violence risk assessment and management, dating and intimate partner violence, and adolescent offenders. With experience spanning both research and applied contexts, she brings an evidence-based perspective to understanding risk, offending behavior, and prevention. She has authored (or co-authored) over 130 articles, book chapters, reports, assessment tools, and presentations related to crime and violence. In 2021, she was awarded the Christopher Webster Early Career Award by the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services for significant early-career contributions to the forensic mental health field.

I bring a rare dual perspective to criminal law: 23 years as an FBI Special Agent followed by nearly a decade as a criminal defense attorney. This unique combination of federal law enforcement experience and defense advocacy gives me comprehensive insight into both sides of the criminal justice system. As owner of the Law Office of Jerry L. Garner, I represent clients facing serious criminal charges throughout Southern Indiana, including weapon offenses, white collar crimes, violent crimes, OWI/DUI, drug charges, and sex-related offenses. My FBI career spanned investigations in Alabama and Kentucky, giving me firsthand knowledge of federal investigative procedures, constitutional protections, and the inner workings of law enforcement agencies. Beyond my legal practice, I served as a professor at Kentucky Wesleyan College from 2013 to 2020, teaching courses in Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Investigation, White Collar Crime, and Critical Issues in Policing. My academic background also includes teaching Astronomy at the collegiate level. Areas of Expertise: - Criminal Defense & Constitutional Rights – Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment protections; search and seizure law; Miranda rights - Federal Law Enforcement & FBI Procedures – Investigation techniques, evidence collection, federal prosecution processes - White Collar Crime – Fraud, corruption, financial crimes, and federal enforcement trends - Criminal Procedure – Arrest protocols, interrogation practices, courtroom procedures - Violent Crime & Drug Offenses – Defense strategies, sentencing considerations, plea negotiations - Criminal Justice Policy – Policing practices, judicial processes, reform issues Education: - JD – Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville (1988) - MS – Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia (2010) - BA – Hanover College, Indiana (1985) Professional Experience: - Owner/Attorney, Law Office of Jerry L. Garner (2017–Present) - Professor/Adjunct Professor, Kentucky Wesleyan College (2013–2020) - Special Agent (Retired), FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation (1990–2013) - Associate Attorney, Law Office of Jenner & Kemper (1989–1990)

Fraud investigator, turned local marketer. As the co-founder of Pillar Digital Marketing, I work with the most remarkable local businesses to help you tell your unique story online.A fraud investigator is just a storyteller, and after more than a decade as a white collar crime investigator, I decided it was time to stop telling stories about the bad guys. Now, I tell stories about the good guys to help the best small businesses grow.Modern marketing is all about earning trust online. You can't trick search engines anymore. But, what you can do is tell the story of what makes your business a good choice for your customers. I help you show the world that you're qualified, reputable, and great at what you do so that your local business can thrive.

I am a publicist, coder, music industry executive and TV Producer with a track record of securing premier media placements and managing high-stakes narratives. At Popularity PR, I help high-profile individuals and corporations across the entertainment, legal, and political sectors navigate the modern media landscape. With an entrepreneurial background that includes building AI-driven intellectual property tools and navigating complex civil litigation, I offer a multifaceted perspective on how business, law, and culture collide. Available for expert commentary on: Public Relations (crisis comms, brand strategy), Entertainment (industry, celebrity narratives), Law (litigation strategy, IP protection), and Entrepreneurship (tech development, startups). Personal Interests: Music, binge-watching Netflix, and diving into complex legal strategy.

I am an Expert Witness, CPA, and Certified Fraud Examiner with over 20 years experience as a fraud investigator and forensic accountant. I have testified at bench trials, and presented findings at mediations, and ADR hearings, My practice focuses on fraud, embezzlement, income and asset tracing, fiduciary misconduct,and elder financial abuse investigations. I prepare Fiduciary Accountings, and create financial reconstructions for tax issues and loan compliance. I am the past Chairperson of the Sonoma County Financial Abuse Specialist Team (FAST) and a past member of the Napa County FAST.

Petr Sukhorukikh is a seasoned Reputation Strategist and the founder of Nevidimka, a specialized agency focusing on Online Reputation Management (ORM) and Crisis Communications. With an academic background from the SKOLKOVO International School of Management (Executive Practicum for Directors), Petr bridges the gap between strategic business management and digital brand protection.

Hassan Kohen is a criminal defense attorney admitted to the Paris Bar and the founder of KOHEN AVOCATS, a boutique law firm specializing in criminal law. He represents clients at all stages of criminal proceedings, from police custody (garde à vue) and immediate court appearances to complex white-collar crime investigations. His practice covers a wide range of criminal matters including financial crimes, corporate criminal liability, traffic offenses, and victims' rights. Known for his responsiveness in emergency situations, he provides 24/7 assistance to individuals facing detention or criminal charges. Based in Paris, he regularly comments on French criminal law developments and justice system reforms.

I am a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and the founder of Forenziq, a forensic accounting firm focused on fraud investigations and financial analysis. I help businesses and legal professionals identify financial misconduct, quantify losses, and uncover the truth behind complex financial matters.

Franco Velasquez is the CEO and founder of HostBreach, a cybersecurity advisory firm specializing in external cyber intelligence, attack surface analysis, and intelligence-driven advisory for defense contractors and regulated organizations. His work focuses on understanding how attackers identify, prioritize, and compromise targets using publicly available intelligence, often before traditional security controls detect activity. Franco advises organizations on CMMC readiness, CUI exposure, ransomware risk, and pre-incident threat visibility, helping leaders understand real-world risk beyond checklist compliance. He has experience working with OSINT-based reconnaissance, threat actor behavior analysis, and tabletop attack simulations aligned to observed intrusion patterns. He is frequently consulted on topics including ransomware trends, external exposure management, supply chain risk, and how attackers exploit misconfigurations and unpatched systems. Franco emphasizes practical, intelligence-led decision-making that helps organizations reduce risk before incidents occur.

I have 24 years of experience in the credit counseling industry, specializing in operations, compliance, debt management, and consumer financial education. As Senior Manager of Compliance and Media at Money Fit, I ensure our programs meet strict standards for integrity, accuracy, and regulatory compliance. I am a HUD Certified Housing Counselor and serve on the Board of Directors for the Financial Counseling Association of America (FCAA). My work focuses entirely on nonprofit credit counseling. I help consumers understand the clear mechanics of regulated debt management versus the risks tied to for-profit debt settlement. Consumers deserve straightforward financial guidance that is realistic, responsible, and built for actual progress.

Dr. Finckenauer, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Professorial Fellow, taught at Rutgers University, Newark., NJ, for 37 years. He has authored, co-authored or co-edited a dozen books as well as numerous articles, chapters and reports. Among other honors, he served as President of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime. He was a visiting professor in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, and Russia, and studied or lectured in Europe, Asia, the former Soviet Union, Latin America and the Middle East. From 1998-2002, he was Director of the International Center at the National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Department of Justice; and in 2007 he was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Hong Kong. His current activities include serving Rutgers as Co-editor of the Online Journal of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Book Reviews. He is an Associate Editor in the development of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology, and a peer reviewer for the Fulbright Specialist Program.