Center for Forensic Accounting
What We Do
Florida Atlantic's Center for Forensic Accounting supports education, research and professional engagement in the fields of forensic accounting, fraud examination, financial investigations and fraud prevention.
The broader missions of the Center for Forensic Accounting are education and outreach to the business community and government, in addition to students; another is developing knowledge in forensic accounting and fraud detection and prevention. One way of accomplishing these objectives is by engaging with people working directly in this area who are responsible for regulating, detecting and reducing financial fraud and misrepresentations.
~ Center Co-Director Dr. Michael Crain
What Is Forensic Accounting?
Forensic accounting is a specialized area of accounting that combines accounting, auditing, investigative techniques and data analysis to examine financial activity and identify fraud, misconduct or financial misrepresentation.
Professionals in this field work across areas such as fraud risk management, financial investigations, litigation support and expert testimony, digital and cyber-related financial investigations, business valuation and regulatory compliance.
As financial systems become increasingly complex, forensic accountants play an important role in helping organizations, government agencies and stakeholders identify and address financial risk.
Supporting Education and Research
The Center promotes the advancement of forensic accounting knowledge through academic scholarship, industry engagement and collaboration with professionals in accounting, law enforcement, government and regulatory organizations.
FAU faculty affiliated with the Center have contributed to the development of educational resources, research and professional literature in forensic accounting and fraud examination.
Conferences
departments, Florida Attorney General’s Office, bank security teams and forensic accountants.
Even experts value the information shared in these conferences because “the body of knowledge on forensic accounting is so vast, and there is so much existing regulation that no one person or group has an understanding of it all.” These conferences provide an opportunity for specialists from different governmental agencies and other groups to inform one another and gain new perspectives on the resources used and available for sharing in future investigations. Bringing together experts in forensic accounting across criminal and civil contexts to discuss techniques, laws, and regulations was one aspect of the conference; the other was sharing case studies in forensic accounting.
We Wrote the Book on Forensic Accounting
Florida Atlantic professors Michael Crain, William Hopwood, Richard Gendler, George Young and Carl Pacini wrote the text Essentials of Forensic Accounting (2nd Edition) published by Wiley and the American Institute of CPAs. The text material is used by AICPA to train CPAs in forensic accounting.
Essentials of Forensic Accounting is an authoritative resource covering a comprehensive range of forensic accounting topics. As a foundation review, a reference book or as preparation for the Certification in Financial Forensics (CFF ® ) Exam, this publication will provide a thoughtful and insightful examination of the key themes in this field, including:
- Professional responsibilities and practice management
- Fundamental forensic knowledge, including laws, courts and dispute resolution
- Specialized forensic knowledge, such as bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and valuation
Through illustrative examples, cases and explanations, this book makes abstract concepts come to life to help you understand and successfully navigate this complex area.
Center Director
Dr. Jay Leiner, CFE, CFS
Center Contact Information
Phone: 833-FAU-CFFA (833-328-2332)
Website: https://business.fau.edu/CfFA
Our Conferences
Stay tuned for our next conference!
Past Conferences
2026
May 15, 2026
Forensic Accounting and Disrupting Financial Crime in 2026 Conference
Sponsored by Florida Atlantic's Executive Education and hosted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury
Virtual and In-person Attendance on the FAU Davie campus
2025
November 14, 2025
Forensic Accounting and Cyber-Enabled Fraud Conference
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Florida Atlantic's Center for Forensic Accounting
Virtual and In-person Attendance on the FAU Boca Raton campus
March 7, 2025
Conference on Trends in Fraud and Forensic Accounting
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Florida Atlantic's Center for Forensic Accounting
Virtual and In-person Attendance on the FAU Boca Raton campus
2024
October 24-25, 2024
Forensic Accounting and Money Laundering Disruption Conference
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Florida Atlantic's Center for Forensic Accounting
Virtual and In-person Attendance on the FAU Boca Raton campus
2023
November 3, 2023
Cryptocurrency Conference
Presented by FAU's Center for Forensic Accounting and the U.S. Department of Treasury
Virtual and In-person Attendance on the FAU Boca Raton campus
March 6-10, 2023
Forensic Accounting and Money Laundering Detection/Disruption Conferences
Presented by FAU's Center for Forensic Accounting and the U.S. Department of Treasury, in conjunction with JS Held
Virtual and In-person Attendance.
