Continuing a long-standing tradition, the International Association of Special Investigation Units announced the winners for four awards it presents every year at the annual conference: investigator of the year, analyst of the year, outstanding service award, and the public service award. Below is a profile of each winner and an explanation of their achievements.
Investigator of the Year
Ed Welch has been named the 2007 Investigator of the Year. Welch, an SIU investigator with State Farm Insurance, conducted an investigation centered on a prominent south Florida neurologist who was egregiously impacting claims through questionable surgical procedures and medical reports. The physician's activities came to light through a preceding investigation in which Welch was involved. The non-confidential portion of Welch's investigation resulted in the neurosurgeon's waiver of $3.3 million dollars in billings. IASIU selects Ed Welch for Investigator of the Year based on his role in identifying, developing, and concluding this unique investigation.
2007 Analyst of the Year
The International Association of Special Investigation Units selected Diann Williford, a field information analyst with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, as its 2007 Analyst of the Year. Williford was selected based on her significant analytical work associated with a major international vehicle theft and insurance fraud ring. In 2005, four NICB investigations were opened to support a California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Department of Insurance (DOI) vehicle theft/owner give-up investigation that also involved VIN switching. Williford worked directly with CHP headquarters and NICB and proved to be instrumental in identifying overlapping elements and coordinating all aspects of the investigation. Additionally, Williford created and maintained the main database that identified counterfeit vehicles, individuals, and locations of interest. The scheme that emerged revealed high-end vehicles were stolen, obtained through identity theft fraud, or obtained through owner give-up. Williford was crucial in identifying this weakness in the scheme and to date, there have been 24 arrests associated with this scheme.
2007 Outstanding Service
IASIU is proud to announce Fred Burkhardt, NICB lead special agent for the Florida Medical Fraud Task Force, as the recipient of the Outstanding Service award for 2007. Currently, Fred supervises three NICB agents, a field information analyst, and an investigative assistant while maintaining his own case load. Burkhardt has been highly involved and proved to be the main catalyst in the success of the task force, which is the second of its kind in the country. His duties include overseeing the daily operations of the main task force in South Florida and the mini-task forces in Ft. Myers, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. These meetings have been critical in bringing together insurance industry members, numerous law enforcement agencies, and the NICB with the common goal of combating insurance fraud in the state. For his work ethic and dedication, IASIU recognizes Fred Burkhardt for the Outstanding Service Award.
2007 IASIU Public Service Award
IASIU is proud to announce Henry "Tommy" Clark as the 2007 winner of the Public Service Award. Detective Clark has been with the Florida Division of Insurance Fraud since 1994. His investigative focus is workers' compensation fraud. Over the years, Detective Clark has investigated numerous high-profile cases involving complex workers' compensation schemes.
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