She has worked on U.S. regulatory investigations involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Furthermore, she has a background in forensic accounting, asset tracing, commercial disputes, commercial damages, and lost profits analysis. Ann works on bankruptcy investigations, as a financial advisor in U.S. bankruptcies, purchase price and post-acquisition disputes, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) reviews.
Ann is based in New York, has over 15 years of forensic accounting experience, and has led substantial international projects in the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean, and China. Ann has been retained as a testifying expert in numerous matters, including asset tracing, fraud and corruption, financial reporting, the application of GAAP and GAAS and damages calculations. She also frequently consults on complex accounting reporting and SEC matters.
Ann joined Kroll with the acquisition of Kinetic Partners, where she was a director and co-head of the New York Forensic and Dispute Services practice. Ann joined Kinetic Partners from a prestigious New York law firm where she practiced securities litigation and provided in-house forensic accounting consulting services. Previously, Ann worked on auditor negligence matters as an in-house forensic accountant and legal assistant at the Office of the General Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Prior to that, she was an auditor in the alternative investment management group at PwC in New York City, where she audited hedge funds, venture capital funds, private equity funds, and commodity pools.
Ann received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and her B.S./B.A. in both Accounting and Computer Information Science from Bryant University. She is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified in Financial Forensics, a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor, and Accredited in Business Valuation. Ann is also a licensed attorney admitted in both New York and Massachusetts, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of the Bar of the City of NY, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
Representative Engagements
Regulatory Experience
- Retained by SEC to assist in investigating whether loans in REIT were being appropriately valued and revenue recognized in accordance with GAAP.
- Retained by law firm as expert to assist in recalculating NAV for hedge fund manager in litigation with SEC and DOJ.
- Retained by law firm to investigate high risk international bank accounts to determine if suspicious activity occurred requiring reporting.
- Retained by DOJ as consultant on financial services industry, including insider trading, layering, spoofing, hedge fund industry, and private equity industry.
- Retained by law firm as consultant to assist SEC investigation of private equity manager. Provided expert report.
- Retained by law firm as consultant to assist SEC investigation of hedge fund manager relating to redemptions of investors and recalculating NAV.
Forensic Accounting and Investigations
- Retained by law firm to perform large-scale internal investigation of hedge fund that provided film financing.
- Retained by law firm and offshore liquidator to perform large-scale investigation of hedge fund’s collapse. Prepared confidential report.
- Led forensic accounting work and acted in forensic expert capacity on mortgage bank litigation.
Fraud and Misconduct
- Retained by law firm as expert on asset tracing analysis to assist in litigation against managing member of investment fund involving allegations of improper diversion of company funds.
- Retained by law firm as forensic expert to private equity fund to investigate whether Chief Executive Officer of portfolio company received corrupt payments from vendors and submitted improper expenses.
- Retained by law firm as forensic expert to private equity fund to investigate allegations of change order abuse and collusive bidding against general contractor of housing rehabilitation project in California.
Receivership and Fiduciary Roles
- Retained by law firm for trustee as litigation management trustee to handle highly contentious litigation and oversee large-scale asset tracing assignment.
US Bankruptcy and Offshore Liquidation Experience
- Retained by law firm as expert in solvency case to review financial statements to determine company’s solvency and ability to continue as a going concern. Prepared expert report.
- Retained by law firm as consultant for Bankruptcy Trustee of staffing company to investigate scheme of executives creating false employees and obtaining kickbacks from contractors.
- Retained by law firm as consultant to provide forensic accounting and financial advisory services in a $3.5 billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.
Financial Services Consulting
- Retained by law firm as consultant to assist directors to prove offshore hedge fund’s money was not hopelessly commingled with another U.S. based fund involved in Ponzi scheme.
- Retained by law firm of audit committee of publicly traded company to assist with five-year restatement of financial statements.
- Retained by law firm as consultant in litigation against large fund administrator allegedly involved in fraud by hedge fund manager.
Post-Acquisition Disputes
- Retained by law firm as expert in earn-out dispute of acquired company in arbitration. Prepared report that recalculated income and cost from key customer, considered “lost revenue,” to determine if acquired company’s earn-out was met.
- Retained by law firm as expert in post-acquisition dispute involving WIC. Recomputed closing balance sheet.
- Retained by law firm as expert on accuracy of inventory amounts and necessity of reserve balance at close date. Reviewed earn-out provision.
Damages
- Retained by law firm for insurance company to review and quantify alleged damages in law firm claim for business interruption damages from Super Storm Sandy.
- Retained by law firm as consultant to calculate damages from alleged failure to sell thinly traded securities.
- Retained by law firm as consultant in divorce proceeding to determine spouse’s business net income and trace assets to offshore jurisdictions.
Auditor Malpractice
- Retained by law firm as consultant in litigation by class of investors against hedge fund auditor.
- Retained by law firm as consultant to assist in preparing securities class action complaint against mortgage bank auditor.
- Retained by law firm of hedge fund director as expert in mediation to perform investigation into adequacy of auditors’ conduct.
- Retained by law firm of SIPA Trustee as consultant to investigate whether auditors conduct was in accordance with GAAS.
Certifications
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Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
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Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF)
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Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor (CIRA)
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Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV)
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Admitted to Practice Law: New York State, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, District of Massachusetts, District of Connecticut
Education
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Juris Doctor, Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York 2004
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Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bryant University, magna cum laude, Smithfield, R.I., 1999
Other
Professional Affiliations
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American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Member
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Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Member
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New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, Member
Publications
"Best Practices for Private Fund Fee, Expense Allocations," January 2016, Law360
