APIPA2025 - Course Detail

5Track D

Basic Investigations

09/08/2025
01:00 p.m. - 05:00 p.m.
12 hours

09/09/2025
08:00 a.m. - 05:00 p.m.

Course Description

This seminar will include a discussion of the components of a fraud investigation program, how to identify fraud, and what to do when you find it. We will discuss developing policy, clarifying your authority and budget, identifying staff and support. We will then discuss how to find fraud, by learning how to assess organizational vulnerability to fraud, how to build sources, how to be proactive, and give an overview of fraud schemes and what investigations of those schemes might look like in the wild. We will include classroom exercises and actual case discussion.

What You Will Learn

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for Infrastructure Coordination David House will discuss Basic of Investigations.

Who Should Attend?

APIPA conference sessions are intended for island government accountability professionals. Audit, budget, finance, accounting, and related management and staff members will find interest and value in this presentation.

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Instructors

David House

Denver, Colorado

David House serves as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for Infrastructure Coordination for the Department of Interior’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). SAC House has served in a variety of roles with the OIG – he was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Northern Region in St. Paul, MN; was Deputy Director for the Recovery Oversight Office; was a senior case agent in Hawaii, and was the Special Agent in Charge for the Central Region in Denver, CO. He served for several years as a Special Agent in Charge for the General Services Administration OIG in San Francisco, CA and before that, served as a US Army CID Agent for 12 years.

Katharine Kovacek

Denver, Colorado

Katharine began her career with the Department of the Interior, Office of Inspector General (DOI OIG) in August 2019 as a Special Agent assigned to the Western Region Investigations office in Lakewood, Colorado, where she has worked on grant and procurement fraud cases and was the lead agent on many multi-agency fraud investigations. Prior to working for the DOI, Katharine worked for the U.S. Department of State OIG in Arlington, Virgina, for approximately 7 years as a Special Agent and Forensic Accountant. Katharine earned her bachelor's degree in accounting from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration from George Mason University. Katharine is a certified forensic examiner and a certified anti money laundering specialist.

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Join us for the APIPA 2025 Conference

The 36th Annual APIPA Conference will take place at the Saipan World Resort, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands from September 08 - September 12, 2025.