The 2023 ACFE Achievement Award Recipients
/Every year, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners recognizes individuals and organizations who demonstrate outstanding achievements in their professional and personal endeavors. The ACFE Awards highlight the very best of the anti-fraud profession and serve to inspire a global community of ACFE members, their colleagues and future generations of fraud fighters.
This year’s award recipients feature a group that includes lifelong fraud fighters, investigators, mentors, educators, truth seekers and warriors for justice.
Cressey Award
The Cressey Award recognizes lifetime achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud. Named in honor of Dr. Donald R. Cressey – one of the United States’ foremost fraud experts and a founding father of the ACFE – this award was established in 1989 and is the highest honor bestowed by the ACFE.
Michael E. Horowitz is Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Justice and oversees a nationwide workforce of special agents, auditors, inspectors, attorneys, and support staff whose mission is to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct in DOJ programs and personnel. Since 2020, he has led the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee and oversees more than $5 trillion in pandemic-related emergency funding across the United States. From 2015 to 2020, he served as Chair of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an organization comprised of all federal Inspectors General in the United States.
With a decades-long career practicing law, Mr. Horowitz embodies the commitment, consistency, and dedication that are core values for a long, successful career in the anti-fraud profession.
Certified Fraud Examiner of the Year Award
The Certified Fraud Examiner of the Year Award is presented to a CFE who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fraud examination.
As Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Hannibal “Mike” Ware is responsible for overseeing billions of dollars in funding for the S.B.A.’s programs and operations, as well as serving as Chair on the Subcommittee on Audits that works to protect pandemic-related funds in the U.S. He has been formally recognized by the Inspector General community for his integrity and efficiency, and he continues to set an example for CFEs around the world.
Baker Award
The James R. Baker Speaker of the Year Award honors an individual who demonstrates the true spirit of leadership through communication, presentation and quality instruction.
Mary Breslin is the Founder and President of Verracy, an internal audit training and consulting firm. Ms. Breslin specializes in internal audit transformations, operational and financial auditing, fraud auditing and investigations and corporate accounting. She has managed audit programs in more than 50 countries, conducted major fraud investigations on multiple continents, and developed and implemented fraud auditing programs across various industries throughout her career.
In addition to her full-time role, Ms. Breslin has spoken at ACFE chapter events, will present at this year’s ACFE Global Fraud Conference, and exhibits the very best qualities of Baker Award winners through the years: dedication, experience and professionalism.
Educator of the Year Award
Established in 2002, the Educator of the Year Award is presented to an ACFE member who has made outstanding contributions to anti-fraud education within their college or university.
Stan Yakoff is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law where he teaches Trading, Risk Management, and Market Structure Regulation. In his professional role, Mr. Yakoff is the Head of Americas Supervision at Citadel Securities. He earned his Juris Doctor from Fordham Law, at which time he was an Associate Editor on the Journal of Corporate and Financial Law, and he holds three separate master’s degrees in differing fields of study. For his work in the classroom and developing future fraud fighters, Yakoff upholds a great tradition of previous Educator of the Year award recipients.
Outstanding Achievement in Community Service Award
Recipients of the Outstanding Achievement in Community Service Award are active contributors to their communities and strive to improve the quality of life where they live and work.
Maheswari Kanniah is Group Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer at Kenanga Group. She has helped to increase chapter membership of the Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, participates as a mentor in the 30 Percent Women’s Club Mentoring Program, and has enhanced local social enterprises and underprivileged communities through the HumanKind Project. In addition to her full-time role, Kanniah acted as advisor and Chair of the organizing team for Kenanga’s Fraud Awareness Week campaigns, including the FAW Games, a series of interactive and engaging educational games, where a record number of 188 teams comprising 135 Internal Teams and 53 External Teams registered.
Hubbard Award
Named in honor of the late ACFE Regent Emeritus, Dr. Thomas Hubbard, the ACFE’s Hubbard Award recognizes the best feature article in Fraud Magazine, as decided by the members of the ACFE Editorial Advisory Committee.
This year’s article – titled Fraud and the North Korean cyberthreat – highlighted state-sponsored cyberfraudsters in North Korea, and, in particular, what fraud examiners can learn from this emerging threat. The article’s author, Patrick Westerhaus, is a Certified Fraud Examiner and CEO of Cyber Team Six. He has twenty years of experience in business and risk mitigation consulting, federal law enforcement and financial services. Prior to joining the FBI, his work as a CPA included auditing publicly traded companies, business case analysis, business continuity planning and internal fraud investigations for Fortune 100 companies.
Cliff Robertson Sentinel Award
First awarded to Oscar-Winning actor Cliff Robertson in 2003, the ACFE's Sentinel Award carries the inscription "For Choosing Truth Over Self." This award is bestowed annually on a person who, without regard to personal or professional consequences, has publicly disclosed wrongdoing in business or government.
Xavier Justo is a former Swiss banker who helped expose the Malaysian 1MDB scam worldwide, considered one of the largest financial frauds in history. As a form of whistleblower retaliation and intimidation, Justo was coerced into a false confession and imprisoned for 18 months before authorities were able to secure his release. Leading with courage, determination and integrity, Justo continues to speak out for whistleblower protections and for justice to be served in similar cases around the world.
Guardian Award
Miranda Patrucic is the Editor-in-Chief of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. She joined the organization in 2006 as its first fact-checker, climbing the ranks from researcher to reporter, and she was promoted to Editor in Chief in 2023.
Patrucic is an award-winning investigative journalist who has sought innovative solutions to expose fraudulent activities occurring at the highest levels around the world. By partnering with local journalists inside closed countries of Central Asia, Miranda’s reporting helped expose billions of dollars in telecom bribes in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as other improper uses of government power in the region. As a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, she contributed to pivotal investigations, such as the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers, and she has played key roles for global collaborations, such as the Russian Asset Tracker, Suisse Secrets and more.
ACFE Chapter Awards
ACFE Chapters play a pivotal role in growing awareness and education of the latest tools, techniques, and technologies that anti-fraud professionals rely on. With nearly 200 chapters and counting, these groups bring localized workshops and subject-matter experts to communities all around the world.
Congratulations to our Chapters of the Year – the New York Chapter and Southwest Ohio Chapter – for their hard work and dedication over the past year.
Also, congratulations to the South Florida Chapter as this year’s recipient of the first-ever Chapter Community Outreach and Service Award.
Congratulations to this year’s ACFE Award recipients! Thank you for your dedication, integrity, and ongoing fight to prevent and detect fraud and corruption in your local communities and around the world. These individuals and organizations demonstrate the very best of the anti-fraud profession, and the ACFE is proud to honor you for your accomplishments.
