This week, hundreds of insurance company investigators, specialagents, law enforcement officials, and other partners in (fighting)crime from across the nation and several other countries havedescended on San Antonio, Texas for the International Associationof Special Investigation Units' (IASIU) 26^th annualseminar.

The diverse offering of educational workshops and networkingevents represents one of many mechanisms the non-profitorganization uses to further investigator training and communityoutreach while supporting anti-fraud legislation. The ultimate goalof IASIU and its membership is to prevent and detect insurancefraud, which the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud projects to costinsurers and policyholders an excess of $80 billion each year.

In a special award ceremony held on Monday, IASIU recognized theinvestigative excellence of a select number of individuals who havegone above and beyond the call of duty, and whose tireless effortsand relentless pursuit of unraveling fraud have not only benefitedthe insurance industry but also society at large.

David J. Rioux, vice president of corporate security at ErieInsurance and IASIU president, enlisted the help of fellow boardmembers to distribute the 2011 awards in four categories:outstanding service, public service, analyst of the year, andinvestigator of the year.

Miles H. Watters Jr. of State Farm received the OutstandingService Award. A 30-year claims professional, Watters has trainedhundreds of claims and investigative professionals throughout hiscareer and has served as president of the National Society ofProfessional Insurance Investigators and a board member of theInternational Association of Arson Investigators. In his acceptancespeech, Watters reflected on the 10-year anniversary of the Sept.11^th attacks and relayed the importance of traininginvestigators to deal with increasingly sophisticated crimeschemes.

“When we talk about 9/11, we realize that flying will never bethe same,” Watters said. “As we move along, we also realize thattechnology has greatly evolved and will continue to evolve. We arenot here for a two- or three-day vacation. We are here to learn andevaluate the effectiveness of our techniques.”

Ellen Withers, IASIU Secretary and editor of the organization'squarterly publication, SIU Today, next commanded thepodium to announce the recipient of the 2011 Outstanding PublicService award, Dave Klimek. A special agent for the FBI, Klimek leda massive search and conducted exhaustive interviews to bust alarge-scale staged crash ring in Texas. Klimek followed a singlesuspicious lead that subsequently led to an investigation involvingsome 200 members of law enforcement. A total 22 people, includingdoctors, lawyers and chiropractors, pleaded guilty to a $5-millionoperation that stole people's identities and bilked insurers.

Of the 22 individuals arrested in the sting operation, all butone were sentenced to federal prison.

Klimek expressed gratitude for having received the award andhonored those who have made immense sacrifices when serving ourcountry:

“I never got to serve in the military but joined the FBI over 10years ago,” Klimek remarked. “Being a special agent is the closestI get [in terms of] serving my country.”

After receiving a standing ovation, Klimek donated half of hisaward to amemorial fund that honors two officers killed in the line of duty. IASIU donated $10,000 to the same organization earlierthis year. Klimek donated the remaining half to the Wounded WarriorProject, the chosen beneficiary for this year's charity golftournament.

In other awards, NICB's Anna Kostovos was named the Analyst ofthe Year Award for her impressive analyses of cellphone recordsrelated to a large commercial loss claim. A press release issued bythe NICB noted that Kostovos' insight into a burned buildinginvestigation combined multiple cellphone records to prove that theclaimant's actions were inconsistent with his fraudulentclaims.

“Kosovos is a pioneer in using cellphone data and emergingtechnology,” a representative for the NICB said.

Kostovos' eloquent and lighthearted speech visibly moved thecrowd at Monday's ceremony:

“I am both shocked and thrilled,” she began. “This is such agreat honor and a testament that you can do anything with hardwork. This award is the best souvenir one can expect fromTexas—even better than those magnets I picked up in the airport. Inany case, I am proud to be part of the NICB and IASIU and amthankful to have such supportive bosses and coworkers.”

The final award—the much anticipated Investigator of theYear—went to Pamela Stiefel of Hartford Insurance. Stiefel'ssuccessful operation began with a single suspicious claim involvinga pickup truck. One person had retitled 10 cars in his name, andtwo of those had been transported to Mexico. Further investigationrevealed a far-reached scam involving hundreds of vehicles beingexported to Mexico and Lebanon. Sharing intelligence withcolleagues and coordinating efforts with the FBI led to theindictment of 19 people and helped other insurers identifysuspicious claims.

“The investigation also helped to spur legislation to closeloopholes that had allowed these scams to thrive,” added Riouxduring the presentation.

Stiefel was elated for the distinction, with IASIU members andsome enthusiastic coworkers from the Hartford cheering her on.

“Thank you so much,” said Stiefel. “It is a privilege to work atsuch a great company and have a cool, interesting job. When Iworked in the Air Force, that seemed cool. Then my employment atOSI seemed even cooler. But I must say this is the coolest jobever. All of the late hours are definitely worth it.”

Stay tuned for more exciting updates fromPropertyCasualty360.com about the developments at the IASIUconference and on the industry fraud-fighting front.