Book excerpt: As economic crimes continue to increase, accountants and law enforcement personnel must be vigilant in expanding their knowledge of ways to detect these clandestine operations. Written by a retired IRS agent with more than twenty years of experience, Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting, Third Edition offers a complete examination of the current methods and legal considerations involved in the detection and prosecution of economic crimes. Explores a range of crimes Following an overview of the economic cost of crime, the book examines different types of offenses with a financial element, ranging from arson to tax evasion. It explores offshore activities and the means criminals use to hide their ill-gotten gains. The author provides a thorough review of evidentiary rules as well as the protocol involved in search warrants. He examines the two modalities used to prove financial crime: the Net Worth Method and the Expenditure Theory, and presents an example scenario based on real-life incidents. Organized crime and consumer fraud Additional topics include organized crime and money laundering — with profiles of the most nefarious cartels — consumer and business fraud and the different schemes that befall the unwary, computer crimes, and issues surrounding banking and finance. The book also presents focused and concrete advice on trial preparation and specific accounting and audit techniques. New chapters in the third edition New material enhances this third edition, including new chapters on investigative interview analysis and document examination, as well as advice for fraud examiners working on private cases, including the preparation of an engagement letter. For a successful prosecution, it is essential to recognize financial crime at its early stages. This practical text presents the nuts and bolts of fraud examination and forensic accounting, enabling investigators to stay ahead of an area that is increasingly taking on global importance.