Meet the Keynote Speakers for the 35th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference
/On June 24-27, anti-fraud professionals attending the 35th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, in Las Vegas, NV or virtually, will hear from leading experts in the fraud fighting field. Sharing their insights, here is an introduction to this years featured keynote speakers:
Damian Williams
U.S. Attorney
Southern District of New York
Nominated in August 2021 and confirmed in October. Williams is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. As the chief federal law enforcement officer for the district, he previously served as Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he prosecuted high-profile white-collar cases, including Congressman Chris Collins for insider trading and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for bribery. Williams clerked for Judge Merrick B. Garland and Justice John Paul Stevens. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard, a Master of Philosophy in international relations from Cambridge and a Juris Doctor from Yale.
Jonna Mendez
Former CIA Chief of Disguise and Author
Starting as a secretary, Mendez advanced to train foreign assets in espionage techniques and served tours in Europe, the Far East and the Subcontinent. As Chief of Disguise in 1991, she managed a global multi-million-dollar program. Post-retirement in 1993, Mendez co-authored books with her late husband Tony Mendez, including “Spy Dust” and “ARGO”, and lectured at institutions like West Point and Sorbonne. A DAR Patriot Award honoree, she is also a founding member of the International Spy Museum’s Advisory Board. Her latest book, “In True Face: A Woman’s Life in the CIA, Unmasked,” published in March 2024, explores her experiences as a female spy during the cold war.
Matt Friedman
CEO
The Mekong Club
As an international human trafficking expert with more than 30 years’ experience, Friedman is CEO of The Mekong Club, an organization of Hong Kong’s leading businesses which have joined forces to help end all forms of modern slavery. Friedman previously worked for USAID and the United Nations in over 40 countries. Friedman offers technical advice to numerous governments, banks and corporations working to eliminate all forms of modern slavery and is the author of twelve books. In 2017, Friedman won Asia’s prestigious “Communicator of the Year” Gold Award.
Jennifer Griffith and Sarah Carver
U.S. Social Security Whistleblowers
Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith met as paralegals in 2000 and joined the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2001, where they exposed a $550 million fraud scheme. Following their whistleblowing, they faced severe retaliation, lost their jobs and were denied protection. Their case gained attention after the Wall Street Journal’s coverage in 2011, leading to a congressional hearing and a successful Qui Tam lawsuit. However, the U.S. Department of Justice refused to honor the settlement agreement. Carver and Griffith have appeared on television programs like “60 Minutes” and “American Greed,” and advocate for stronger whistleblower protections, SSA accountability and improved oversight.
Emmitt Smith
Businessman and Entrepreneur
Pro Football Hall of Fame Running Back
In his 15 NFL seasons, Smith set records for most career rushing yards and touchdowns, won three Super Bowl rings, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and was selected to the NFL 100 All-Time Team in 2019. Drafted in 1990, he was the Dallas Cowboys’ cornerstone for 13 seasons, becoming the first to rush over 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons. Post-football, Smith won Dancing with the Stars, authored “Game On”, became a businessman, engaged in charitable work in the Dallas area and co-owns a NASCAR team focusing on STEM education and diversity initiatives.
Lizzie Johnson
Investigative Journalist
The Washington Post
Starting as an enterprise reporter in 2021, Johnson is now an investigative journalist at the Washington Post. She previously worked at The San Francisco Chronicle and has reported from across America and the war in Ukraine. In 2022, after Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German was murdered while investigation a $500 million Ponzi scheme, Johnson completed his work, leading to a National Press Club’s President Award in 2023. A three-time Livingston Awards finalist, her first book, “Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire,” is being developed as a feature film.
Brent Cassity*
Convicted Fraudster, Author and Podcast Host
Brent Cassity is the author of “Nightmare Success: Loyalty, Betrayal, Life Behind Bars, Adapting, And Finally Breaking Free: A Memoir.” He is also a host of the “Nightmare Success In and Out” podcast. Cassity served a five-year sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth after pleading guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in 2013. Today, Cassity utilizes his time to share the five strategies he used to survive prison.
*The ACFE does not compensate convicted fraudsters.
John Gill, J.D., CFE
President
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
Joining the ACFE in 1995 as its first general counsel, Gill created and directed the research and publications department and later served as Chief Training Officer. He developed the CFE Exam Review Course in 2006, teaching it globally, and has conducted training for Fortune 50 companies and government agencies. Before the ACFE, he practiced law in Austin, Texas, focusing on civil fraud and deceptive trade practices. Gill co-authored the Fraud Examiners Manual and regularly contributes to Fraud Magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Arkansas and a Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Texas School of Law.
