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Pacific Northwest License, Tax & Fraud Association
Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm
PNLTFA Members,
Please join us for FREE investigator training on Tuesday, January 9th at the South Puget Sound Community College Lacey Campus!
This free training includes two CPE hours of Ethics, which is required for most professional certifications. This training is available for all current PNLTFA members. Annual dues for 2024 are only $45.
Register for membership and training here: Eventbrite link
January 9th schedule:
- 8:00 am – 8:30 am: Sign-in / Networking – all attendees must sign in
- 8:30 am – 9:00 am: Welcome and introductions, State of the Association, 2024 Focus
- 9:00 am – 10:30 am: Sales Suppression Software – Finding Fraud in Retail Audits – Jerome Salido and Mike Chertrude, Department of Revenue
- Sales suppression software is used to eliminate cash transactions in sales records, allowing a business to avoid reporting and returning sales tax to the state. The use of sales suppression software is illegal and a Class C felony in Washington state. Join Jerome Salido and Mike Chertrude with Department of Revenue as they review a case study and provide insight into how to detect this evasion technique.
- 10:30 am – 10:45 am: Break / Networking
- 10:45am – 12:00 pm: Fraudulent Identification – False ID Training – Aaron Green and Dale Ellliott, Department of Licensing
- The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs 2021 Crime in Washington report indicated that in 2021 there were 24,561 fraud offenses reported throughout the state. Identity Theft and Swindle / Con Games totaled 14,321, or 58.3% of all financial crimes in Washington. Join Aaron Green and Dale Elliott with Department of Licensing to discuss ID theft trends and how the landscape of fraud in the Northwest is changing with these trends.
- 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm: Lunch / Board meeting
- Lunch is on your own. There are many small businesses near SPSCC, as well as popular franchises along Sleater-Kinney Road. You are also welcome to bring food in and attend the Association board meeting during lunch.
- 1:15 pm – 1:30 pm: Sign-in / Networking – all attendees must sign in
- 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm: Ethics – Justin Cottee, Executive Ethics Board
- From the EEB: “After taking the training, the state employee will have a basic understanding of the ethical standards in place for state employees and state officials. The training will cover what is required under the law as a state employee and give state employees practical tools on how to handle ethical issues when they arise in the workplace. Through the use of hypothetical situations, state employees will learn what conduct is appropriate and options to take when faced with ethical dilemmas in their agency. The state employee will also gain a working knowledge of the role of the Executive Ethics Board as well as the complaint process.”
- 2:15 pm – 2:30 pm: Break, Networking
- 2:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Ethics, Continued
- 3:45 pm: Adjourn
When:
Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm
Where:
South Community College Lacey Campus, 4220 6th Ave SE Lacey, WA 98503
Cost:
Training is free for 2024 members.
2024 Membership is $45.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-pnltfa-winter-training-tickets-779222203587?aff=oddtdtcreator
Payment may be made online via Eventbrite or mailed with a printed copy of registration to:
PNLTFA
PO Box 15086
Tumwater, WA 98501-5086
Any questions: email administrator@pnltfa.com
About the Presenters:
Jerome Salido has worked for the Department of Revenue for 24 years, working as a Computer Audit Specialist since 2005. Since 2014, Jerome has focused on analyzing Point of Sales systems for possible sales suppression use and has analyzed databases in over 50 separate investigations. He has worked on the first conviction in the nation of a restaurant for use of sales suppression software. He has also assisted the Internal Revenue Service in the 2016 federal prosecution of a distributor who equipped several restaurants in the Seattle area with sales suppression software. He has worked with investigators from California, Colorado and Connecticut regarding sales suppression software use, as well as working on cases with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, Washington State Patrol, Skagit County Drug Task Force and the Department of Homeland Security.
Mike Chertrude is a 30 year employee of Washington State Department of Revenue and is the manager of the CAAP group in the Audit Division. His 11-member team includes the Sampling and Electronic Data (SEDA) unit and the Data Analytics team. Mike has been involved with Sales Suppression (Fraud) since 2007 including research, working with other states, academia, as well as traveling to give presentations at conferences and other states at their request. Mike and the CAAP group helped create a small sales suppression program for the Audit Division that audits businesses with a Point of Sale (POS) or Electronic Cash Register (ECR) systems. In 2017, Washington became the first state in the country that had a criminal conviction for the use of sales suppression in a business. Washington State also assisted the IRS in a criminal conviction in 2017 of a distributor, selling zappers to business using POS systems. In June 2018, Mike was awarded with the Federal Tax Administrators (FTA) Harley Duncan Award for Leadership for his work in the area of sales suppression on both a state and national level.
Aaron Greene has worked for the Department of Licensing (DOL), Driver and Vehicle Investigations (DVI) unit in an investigator role for 12 years. Aaron started with DVI as an Investigator 1 and worked in that role for 5 years, he then promoted to an Investigator 2 and worked in that role for another 5 years, and recently promoted to an Investigator 3 and has worked that role for the last 2 years. Aaron has tasked himself in becoming a subject matter expert in all aspects of DVI. Aaron considers himself the Swiss-Army knife within the unit and has strived to become a subject matter expert in Driver Investigations, Vehicle Investigations, and now the Training & Outreach supervisor for DVI. As the Training & Outreach supervisor Aaron is responsible for training internal and external stakeholders to DVI and provides outreach to those same stakeholders. Aaron has been privileged to represent DOL in nationwide AAMVA projects, several high priority lean events, and has worked several high priority complex investigations for DVI over the years.
Dale Elliott has worked at Department of Licensing for about 4 ½ years as an Investigator 2 investigating identity fraud, identity theft and vehicle title fraud. Prior to working for Department of Licensing, he was a police officer, serving the public for over 28 years. His focus during his career was tactical and investigations with an emphasis in training. He has trained both new recruits fresh out of the academy and seasoned officers. Dale also moonlighted as a driver’s education instructor for 911 Driving School, and as a very young Marine, taught defensive driving and was a licensing instructor for the U.S. Marine Corps. In Dale’s early years as a police officer, he taught the DARE program. After retiring but before starting at DOL, Dale owned a small training cadre teaching tactics, personal security, and firearms safety. He is certified as a “Ropes” or “Challenge course” instructor, doing team building and outdoor team challenge training as well. In 2019, 2020 and 2023, Dale had the opportunity put this training to use within DOL. He facilitated 4 team building seminars for the staff and investigators in DVI helping to deepen relationships and build empathy for each other and all unique skillsets.
Justin Cotte has been employed with the Ethics Board, as an Investigator, since March 2022. Prior to state employment, he spent 20 years in law enforcement. He started his career with Olympia Police Department and then, in 2003, as a Deputy Sheriff with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office. He worked Patrol, K9, and Detectives. During his time with the Sheriff’s Office, he was assigned to two felony task forces; first with the US Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Task Force and later with the Washington State Chapter (Seattle Police Department) Internet Crimes against Children Task Force (ICAC).
Nominations!
Please use the following form to submit nominations to the Pacific Northwest License, Tax & Fraud Association! We will use these nominations to vote on at our business meeting to be held during our conference on 10/13/2022 at the South Puget Sound Community College. See you there!
Please use the following form to submit nominations to the Pacific Northwest License, Tax & Fraud Association! We will use these nominations to vote on at our business meeting to be held during our conference on 10/13/2022 at the South Puget Sound Community College. See you there!
2022 PNLTFA Fall Training
PNLTFA: The Return
Pacific Northwest License, Tax & Fraud Association
Fall Training 2022 – October 13th, 2022
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-fall-training-tickets-401990011947
PNLTFA Members,
It has been far too long since we were able to come together and network, share experiences and swap stories, and learn new tools and methods in our fight against fraud and the criminal element! The last two and a half years have not only shown us new ways of doing our jobs, its also taught others new ways of committing fraud, evading detection and victimizing others. It’s time we got back to work.
We are pleased to announce our training is back, and at our recently favorite training location at the South Puget Sound Community College Lacey Campus! Here’s the breakdown of the day:
7:30am – 8:00am – Sign-in, networking
Please be prepared to sign in at the entrance to the classroom for CPE certification!
8:00am – 9:30am – De-escalation and dealing with Difficult Customers: Randy Littlefield
Randy is the Deputy Assistant Director for Labor & Industries’ Fraud Prevention & Labor Standards Division, and he will be discussing difficult interactions, how to navigate sensitive or potentially confrontational encounters, and how to best avoid, mitigate or prevent escalation.
9:30am – 9:45am – Break, Networking
9:45am – 11:00am – Self Management
Do you deal with upset or angry people in your job or life? Do you wish you had some better ways to deal with those situations? Come talk about ways you can better manage those conversation, help people feel heard and calm the situation with your verbal skills.
11:00am – 11:30am – Business Meeting:
As required by the PNLTFA By-Laws, we have a meeting every year to discuss the state of the Association, summarize the prior year, indicate future goals and elect board members (1/2 of the board is elected each year). This is normally conducted during our two-day event in May, but this year we did not host one. You are not required to be present for the meeting, but this will be an opportunity to discuss future opportunities with the newly elected Board members and provide input on where we go next in our training events!
Please note: We will have a ballot on the PNLTFA.com website to nominate candidates. Voting ballots will be provided to each attendee prior to the business meeting.
11:00am – 12:30am – Lunch:
On your own. There are many small businesses near SPSCC as well as popular franchises along Sleater-Kinney Rd. You are more than welcome to bring food in and eat while we present our business meeting to the attendees!
Please be prepared to sign in at the entrance to the classroom for CPE certification!
12:30pm – 2:30pm – Crypto 101:
PNLTFA is no stranger to the world of cryptocurrency, as we’ve held several training sessions on this very topic, stood up a newsletter to track the trends we’ve seen in BitCoin and even had a subcommittee to discuss those trends. Today, with the explosion in the various types of cryptocurrency including non-fungible tokens (NFTs), understanding the world of digital currency is even more important as regulators and fraud fighters! Come learn the basics of Financial Technology (FinTech) and how the Washington Department of Financial Institutions regulates in this space. Topics covered will include blockchain technology, digital assets (including Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, stablecoins, and NFTs). The session will also cover other topics like Centralized Finance (CeFi) versus Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Web3, and other emerging financial technologies and products.
2:30pm – 2:45pm – Break, Networking
2:45pm – 4:30pm – Ethics:
Join us with the Executive Ethics Board as they provide the annual two-hour Ethics training that we provide every year. While we normally do this in January of each year, we have had several requests to provide it this year to comply with various certification requirements.
From the EEB: “After taking the training, the state employee will have a basic understanding of the ethical standards in place for state employees and state officials. The training will cover what is required under the law as a state employee and give state employees practical tools on how to handle ethical issues when they arise in the workplace. Through the use of hypothetical situations, state employees will learn what conduct is appropriate and options to take when faced with ethical dilemmas in their agency. The state employee will also gain a working knowledge of the role of the Executive Ethics Board as well as the complaint process.”
When:
Tuesday, October 13, 2022, 8:00am – 4:30pm
Where:
South Community College Lacey Campus, 4220 6th Ave SE Lacey, WA 98503
Cost:
$45 – taken by invoice (through your agency) or online via Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-fall-training-tickets-401990011947
About the Presenters:
H. Randy Littlefield:
Randy joined L&I in 2011, where he has working in several of the programs from Collections, Contractor Compliance and Investigations before taking his current job as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Fraud Prevention & Labor Standards .
In his over 30 year state career he has worked at the Employment Security Department while attending college. He then became a Washington State Trooper where he learned valuable critical thinking and decision making skills, he also trained as and served as one of the Department Public Information Officers. Randy then worked Department of Revenue for 15 years where he worked mostly in their Tax Discovery program before leaving for 5 years to own several businesses.
Throughout his career, Randy has honed his communications skills and focused on how to listen and communicate affective in tough situations. He has found that it doesn’t matter if you are collecting taxes, providing a customer service or investigating a crime, the techniques for calming the situation and communicating affectively do not change.
Randy is originally from the Olympia area but spent many years of his childhood in Louisiana. He has a daughter, two step kids and his longtime partner Beth. When not working, Randy enjoys traveling, cooking (you might have seen some of his food article in the division newsletter or eaten some of the many things he often brings in to share), scuba diving, wine touring and spending time with his family and friends.
Ali Higgs:
As a lawyer, regulator, and former compliance consultant, Ali has extensive experience working in financial regulation and the financial services industry. Ali currently works at the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) in the role of Director of Regulatory and Legal Affairs providing legal assistance and advice related to supervision and regulation of financial institutions in the State of Washington. Ali also serves as the lead contact for the DFI Center for FinTech Information. Ali is an adjunct professor at the Seattle University School of Law teaching courses in Privacy, Cybersecurity, and FinTech. Ali received both her B.A. in Business Administration and JD from Seattle University. She is a member of the Washington State Bar Association.
Bobby Frye:
Executive Ethics Board Investigator Bobby Frye has been employed with Washington State for the past 42 years. He worked for the Washington State Patrol for 26 years as a Trooper, Detective and Bomb Technician and instructed Basic Narcotics classes for 4 years. After leaving the WSP, he worked as an Investigator with the DOL Facial Recognition Unit and as an investigator for the Insurance Commissioner’s Office for 10 years. He joined the Ethics Board as an Investigator in May 2018.
COVID-19 Update (2020)
A Message from Pacific Northwest License Tax and Fraud Association President:
Greetings PNLTFA members,
As you may recall, we had re-scheduled the PNLTFA Annual Conference, set for in May 2020 at the Olympia / Lacey Hampton Inn, and moved it to mid-October in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. This schedule change was based on several factors, including the Governor’s Proclamation, which shut down most industries except for those essential for continued operation, first responders or those engaged in support of COVID-19 relief or other operations. Because fraud and related training don’t fall into those categories, we opted to use our October training date and re-shape it into a two-day conference, hoping that the date would be well beyond the pandemic and we could safely re-group while we network, reconnect and learn new and interesting fraud fighting tips and brush up on core skills!
During that time, we continued to monitor the global situation with COVID-19, and realized time was not on our side, and the COVID-19 pandemic has not subsided nearly as quickly as any of us would like. The current restrictions for in-person attendance in Thurston County, for instance, would have only 50% capacity, and food catering options would prevent buffet-style options that we normally see in conferences, opting instead for boxed lunches, such as cold cut sandwiches or other similar options. In addition, the Governor has put in place a mandatory mask policy for all persons in public, including at training conferences, and including the speaker.
Adding these together, the PNLTFA Board did not feel this would contribute to a successful and enjoyable conference, and voted unanimously to push the conference to its normal month, to the second week of May 2021 (May 11th – 13th – we well release details at a later date). We will still be offering the “How to Testify” course at that conference unless forces beyond our control force us to change our training topic. If that happens, we will make that announcement immediately.
As a result, attendees who originally purchased tickets have two options:
You may, of course, opt for a full refund for the purchase price of your ticket, either through yourself or through your agency.
If you wish, we can apply the funds to the May 2021 conference, eliminating the need to register as an attendee again, or coordinate training funds for your staff.
You may also transfer the registration to another staff as well.
For any paid tickets that were fully paid for via credit card or an agency warrant sent to us, please let us know what you, your agency or your training unit would like us to do.
If you registered and indicated you need to pay via invoice, there’s nothing further you need to do – we will cancel any invoiced payments and you’ll simply need to re-register for the May Conference!
Also, we will also be looking to host our PNLTFA Winter 2021 Training, currently scheduled for January 19, 2021! We will, as always, be hosting a variety of topics, including two hours of ethics – look for an announcement for this training in the next few months!
In closing, I apologize for the inconvenience. I know many of you, like myself and the rest of the PNLTFA Board, were looking forward to this event! However, we could not host a successful training event in the current environment with the ever-changing dynamic of the pandemic and the need to support physical distancing and combat the spread of this disease.
I look forward to seeing you all in the new year – I will see you all in 2021!
Stay healthy and stay safe,
Nathan Kresse
PNLTFA President