EXPERT PROFILE
Harry Garcia, CFE, CPP, is a veteran forensic accounting investigator, with 40 years’ experience with the FBI, as a Special Agent Accountant, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as an Internal Revenue Agent, and Big Four accounting firm Deloitte LLP, as Senior Manager of the Forensic & Dispute client services and the owner/managing partner of H. Garcia & Associates Inc.
Mr. Garcia’s vast professional investigative experience has entailed applying pertinent investigative procedures to gather facts of evidentiary value, in support of criminal prosecutions and civil litigation cases. As a forensic accounting investigator, Mr, Garcia is an expert in misappropriation of assets scheme investigations including forensically analyzing business documents and financial transactions.
Mr. Garcia has been designated and engaged by trial attorneys as an expert witness in litigation support driven investigations focusing on misappropriation of assets, corruption (Bribery-vendor kickbacks & FCPA issues), money laundering and other fraudulent schemes i.e., theft of inventory, diversion of investment and financing moneys and accounts receivables factoring schemes, including Ponzi schemes, leading to unjust enrichment by perpetrators, in which Mr. Garcia has provided extensive litigation support to federal prosecutors (Assistant U.S. attorneys) and civil litigators. Mr. Garcia has testified as an expert witness in federal criminal trials and at depositions in private sector civil litigation cases.
Since 2018 Mr. Garcia’s expert witness engagements by private sector litigators have included money laundering, vendor kickbacks and misappropriation of assets schemes, in which he has provided expert testimony at depositions. Mr. Garcia’s work in these expert witness engagements, in support of litigation, have involved thorough forensic accounting analysis of banking, business and other financial records. As part of his work in these expert witness cases, Mr. Garcia has provided expert interpretation of financial transactions in support of preliminary injunction motions’ filings to assist counsel (client) in attempt to recover fraudulently disbursed funds and/or cash equivalent assets.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Harry is the CEO and managing partner of H.Garcia & Associates, Inc. (“HGA”), a California based private investigative and consulting firm he founded in 2005. HGA provides a variety of litigation support driven investigative and consulting services to multinational corporations, private corporations, the Catholic Church, a Catholic religious order, and their external counsel.
HGA has also provided training on forensic interviewing techniques; fraud investigation techniques and the financial aspects of investigating fraud, corruption, and related money laundering activity. HGA works with a large network of U.S. based and global investigative resources throughout Latin America including Mexico, Colombia, Peru Brazil, and Paraguay.
DELOITTE LLP
From 2013 through 2015, Harry served a two-year secondment assignment for Deloitte LLP as the director of the forensic & dispute services practice in Colombia, which under his leadership prospered and grew into a clear presence in the northern South America region with ten forensic investigators and the creation of a computer forensic technology lab. During his tenure in Colombia, he developed business internally and externally which led to a variety of engagements under his responsibility in Colombia and Peru involving forensic accounting investigations; whistle-blower allegations; procurement fraud, including vendor kickbacks and FCPA reviews and compliance assessments.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Before serving in the private sector, Harry served with the federal government as an FBI Special Agent Accountant and Supervisory Special Agent (January 1981-September 2003) before his retirement in September 2003. During his career with the FBI, Harry investigated complex financial fraud crimes, public corruption, financial institution internal frauds, other white-collar crime cases, and related money laundering focusing on the seizure of illicit assets. His achievements included outstanding work in a complex financial fraud and corruption case that led to the indictment and conviction of the Mayor of the second biggest city in Puerto Rico was recognized by the prestigious award of “Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.” Additionally, in 1996 he was awarded the “Outstanding Achievement Award” by the State of California for his accomplishments in two high-profile federal law enforcement border corruption and money laundering investigations in San Diego, among many others, received from local, federal, foreign law enforcement and national intelligence agencies between 1987 and 1999.
Harry held a diplomatic position in Bogota, Colombia where he served as an Assistant and Acting Legal Attache for the FBI at the U.S. Embassy. Harry represented the FBI at embassy inter-agency meetings that required sensitivity and diplomatic articulation of FBI positions. Harry was recognized for securing the first kidnapping extraterritorial indictment against a FARC terrorist group commander in Colombia. At the end of his FBI career, Harry held FBI management positions in the areas of organized crime and computer forensic examiners response team squads.
Harry implemented FBI international training programs in anti-corruption and anti-money laundering for in-country law enforcement counterparts, prosecutors, and investigators in Colombia and Mexico, focusing on the financial aspects of corruption cases, including the use of indirect financial analysis techniques to trace illicit assets.
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
Harry served as an Internal Revenue Agent following his graduation from Arizona State University. His responsibilities included conducting federal tax return audits of corporations, partnerships, and individuals, by thoroughly examining taxpayers’ financial and business books and records, by applying relevant audit techniques, to determine the correct tax liability. He was commended by the branch chief on case evaluations for his outstanding and effective time utilization, audit techniques, and communication skills.
CERTIFICATIONS-LICENSE & SPECIALTIES
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
• Board Certified in Security Management as a CPP
• Licensed Private Investigator in California
• Diplomatic experience in South America
• FBI Special Agent Accountant & Big Four Accounting Firm experience
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) International
• Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
PUBLIC SPEAKING/TRAINING
• Harry is an accomplished educator on forensic interviewing techniques, fraud investigations and the financial aspects of investigating public corruption and money laundering cases. He has presented globally in South America, Singapore, Mexico and in the U.S.
• He has been a speaker for the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT) in anti-corruption and interviewing techniques courses in Mexico City and Colombia for investigators and prosecutors.
• On two separate occasions in 2011, Harry was engaged by the president of the Mexico City ACFE chapter to provide training to an audience of accountants and internal auditors in interviewing and interrogation techniques.
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