APRI Highlights - Summer 2002

White Collar Crime Program

Sean Morgan, Director

With funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), APRI’s White Collar Crime Program (WCCP) is working to help prosecutors and other law enforcement professionals investigate, prosecute and prevent telecommunications fraud against the elderly through training and technical assistance.

The WCCP continues its efforts to assist prosecutors in combating the scourge of telemarketing fraud (TMF). From February-May 2002, the WCCP visited state and local law enforcement agencies that host TMF demonstration projects to gather data for BJA and provide technical assistance for its TMF efforts.

In addition, the White Collar Crime Program plans to offer a TMF training course in fall 2002. This course will focus on providing prosecutors with the information necessary to investigate and prosecute TMF against the elderly. An educational videotape of the training will be made available to prosecutors at a later date.

The WCCP is expanding its focus and expertise in two ways: first, by incorporating all types of telecommunications fraud, such as Internet fraud and identity theft, within its purview; and second, by extending its interest in elderly victims to include both physical and financial abuse.

On June 4-7, 2002, the WCCP helped facilitate NDAA’s Cybersleuth II workshop at the National Advocacy Center (NAC) in Columbia, SC. Cybersleuth II focused on trial issues specific to cybercrime cases, including direct and cross-examination of a computer forensic analyst; voir dire on technology issues; and electronic evidence collection in compliance with the USA Patriot Act, the Electronic Consumer Privacy Act and the Privacy Protection Act.

APRI and NDAA will offer an identity theft training course at the NAC, on October 21-25, 2002. This course will focus on educating prosecutors on coordination with law enforcement, other public agencies and the private sector to investigate and prosecute identity theft effectively. The course will cover evidence collection, trial issues and protection of information.

The WCCP also continues to develop resources to help prosecutors combat physical and financial abuse of the elderly. The WCCP currently is performing a state-by-state analysis of statutes and case law relevant to physical and financial abuse of the elderly to identify the major legal hurdles to prosecution of these types of crimes.

For more information about APRI’s White Collar Crime Program, please contact whitecollar@ndaa-apri.org.