The ring around the ‘white’ collar

FBI forensic accountant to present on defining and preventing white-collar crime

The term “white-collar crime” often is used to describe crimes that are financially motivated, nonviolent, and usually committed by government or business professionals. They can include anything from the massive frauds committed at Enron, to the embezzlement of funds from a mom-and-pop business. But the definition is far from precise, and advances in technology have added new crimes to the category. L. Christopher Knight, an FBI forensic accountant, will discuss what “white-collar crime” means from a law enforcement viewpoint during a talk at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business at 5 p.m. Feb. 28 in Mendoza’s Jordan Auditorium. The talk is free and open to the public. The ring around the “white” collar, will explore the definitions, sociological theories, characteristics of this category of crime, and how fraud examiners go about investigating it. Knight will present both theories and real-life examples. Knight entered on duty with the FBI Detroit Field Office in October 2004 after working two years at a regional public accounting firm. In October 2006, he transferred to the FBI Indianapolis Field Office’s White-Collar Crime squad where he is assigned as a forensic accountant. In this role, he is responsible for the review and analysis of financial evidence received in support of criminal and national security investigations. In addition to working at the FBI, Knight is an adjunct professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in Bloomington and Indiana University-East where he teaches courses in fraud examination and forensic accounting. He routinely speaks on topics associated with fraud, forensic accounting and white-collar crime to various organizations, trade groups and associations. He has written several articles that have been published in Fraud Magazine, a bi-monthly publication of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Knight graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with concentrations in accounting and legal studies from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business Bloomington. Additionally, he earned a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati. He is a licensed State of Indiana Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Knight’s talk is sponsored by student groups Beta Alpha Psi, the Notre Dame Accounting Association and the Master of Science in Accountancy Association. For more information, contact Amanda Rink, Accountancy Department officer manager, at arink@nd.edu or (574) 631-7324.