Tim O’Rourke: TSCM

Tim O’Rourke is lead tech for the Technical Services Division team within The Grafton Group, based in Tampa, Florida. Tim has more than 30 years' experience in conducting and directing the protective, investigative and technical security needs of business, government and private individuals. His practice areas include major fraud investigations, internet crimes, technical surveillance countermeasures TSCM, and product counterfeiting. Prior to founding The Grafton Group, Tim served both domestic and multi-national corporations with their protective and intelligence needs for 20 years. From 2005-2013 he was appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson to serve on PIRSAC which oversees investigators and other 493 professions. Tim has served FALI in many capacities including five years as president and is currently serving as FALI President.

Rick Fernambucq: Presentation:Trial Testimony

Rick Fernambucq, a Birmingham native and founding partner of Boyd, Fernambucq, & Dunn, P.C., has been practicing matrimonial and family law in Alabama since 1981. 

 He co-authored Family Law in Alabama: Practice and Procedure, with the first edition being printed in 1990. The book is updated annually and is released in December of each year by the publisher LexisNexis.

 Rick was a founding member of the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar and has served as Chairman of both that section and the state chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. He also serves as Treasurer for the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Rick has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America in his field of practice and received the Lawyer of the Year Award for 2010. He is also regularly nominated for SuperLawyers, which is through a state-wide evaluation by his peers resulting in on 5% of Alabama attorneys being chosen each year.

 Rick graduated from the University of Alabama in 1977 and from Birmingham School of Law in 1981. He served on the Executive Committee of the Birmingham Bar Association from 1993-1996. He practices primarily in Jefferson and Shelby County in all areas of family law.

Charles Dunn: Presentation:Trial Testimony

Like his law partners, Mr. Dunn’s practice concentrates in the area of divorce, matrimonial law, family law and child custody.  He grew up in North Carolina and earned his B.S. degree from Guilford College in 1993.  He attended Cumberland School of Law at Samford University and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree in 1998.  In 2006, Mr. Dunn became a shareholder at Boyd, Fernambucq & Dunn, P.C., located in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Dunn is a frequent lecturer on family law issues and often speaks to other lawyers at continuing education seminars throughout the State.  He has been published in the Birmingham Bar Bulletin and in The Alabama Lawyer on a vast array of subjects pertaining to his field of practice.  Mr. Dunn is a proud member of the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar, and is a member of the Birmingham Bar Association where he enjoys serving on the Bar’s Entertainment Committee.

Mr. Dunn litigates divorce and post-divorce matters all across the state of Alabama. In addition, he maintains a state-wide appellate practice and enjoys working with and assisting other lawyers on their appellate matters before the Court of Civil Appeals and the Supreme Court of Alabama.

Robert “Jerry” DeFatta: Presentation: Understanding and Investigating Internal Fraud

With more than 30 years of experience in corporate security and private investigations, I’ve built a career focused on uncovering fraud, protecting assets, and safeguarding organizational integrity. My investigative background began in the casino industry, where I spent over a decade as a Senior Security Investigator for one of Louisiana’s largest gaming companies. There, I led complex investigations into employee theft, internal fraud, and criminal activity involving both staff and patrons—developing a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by casino operations.

In 1997, I founded DeFatta & Associates, LLC, a licensed private-investigation firm specializing in casino and corporate investigations, internal theft, and fraud prevention. For almost three decades, my firm has supported casinos, corporations, and legal professionals with discreet, results-driven investigative services.

As a Board Accredited Investigator (BAI), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Reid Technique-certified interviewer, I combine technical expertise with behavioral analysis to uncover facts others may miss. I currently serve as Chairman of the BAI Program and sit on the Board of Directors for Intellenet, an international intelligence network of professional investigators. I’m also an active member of ASIS International, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and other professional organizations.

In addition to my fieldwork, I’m an approved Private Investigator Instructor with the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigator Examiners, teaching the Basic 40-Hour Private Investigations Course at multiple colleges. My training programs on fraud prevention, deception detection, and investigative techniques have been approved for continuing education nationwide. My work has been featured in Security Management and PI Magazine, and I continue to share insights to help casinos and corporations strengthen their internal controls, reduce losses, and maintain integrity in every operation.

Brent Nevison: Maximizing Computer and Software use for Private Investigators.

Brent Nevison’s early life was shaped by frequent moves tied to his father’s work as a corporate “fixer.” By the time he graduated from college, Brent had attended 13 schools and lived in 19 different places across nine states.

He began programming at age 14, before the internet and home computers were widely available. During high school, he taught himself and worked with Assembly, BASIC, Pascal, C, and dBase. He later earned a degree in Personnel while nearly completing a double major in computer science.

Although his formal degree was in Personnel, Brent’s career quickly centered on computers and technology. Early in his career, he worked as a Department of Defense programmer for the U.S. Army, developing software for missile systems and Army Corps of Engineers computers in preparation for Y2K.

During that role, Brent began consulting with the FBI before the agency had a dedicated cyber team in Mobile, Alabama. He later accepted a position designing and supporting networks for an international chemical company.

Brent has also taught information technology and criminal justice, including cybercrime, at a local technical college. That experience helped inspire him to reshape his 12-year-old company into Wolverine Investigations, reflecting a sharper focus on investigative and security services.

Through Wolverine Investigations, Brent consults in both cyber and physical security. His work includes CCTV system design and installation, physical security consulting, executive protection, firearms-related consulting, forensic evidence, technical private investigations, botnets, ransomware, and computer security.

Brent’s broad client base includes both international and local clients, including a local talent agency. These connections have given him opportunities to appear in several movies, with more anticipated in the future.

Outside his professional work, Brent enjoys firearms, weightlifting, cooking, reading, motorcycles, and fishing.

Samantha Santiago: Investigating Human Trafficking Networks in Illicit Massage Businesses

Samantha Santiago is a licensed private investigator (TX DPS #A18878001) and the founder and principal of Premier Pathfinders LLC, a boutique strategic intelligence and investigations firm based in Austin, Texas. She specializes in executive vetting and pre-investment due diligence for private equity firms and institutional investors, in addition to intelligence-driven investigative support for complex civil and criminal litigation matters.

Samantha advises clients on high-stakes matters requiring discretion, analytical rigor, and strategic insight.She conducts due diligence assessments of C-suite executives and other key individuals associated with prospective investments and acquisitions, to uncover financial, legal, behavioral, and reputational risks that may not emerge through conventional background checks. She also supports attorneys in civil and criminal litigation by developing investigative strategies, uncovering critical evidence, and transforming complex information into actionable intelligence.

Prior to founding Premier Pathfinders, Samantha served for 13 years with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where she led and supported numerous high-impact counterterrorism operations targeting significant threats to U.S. national security. She also conducted foreign intelligence threat assessments to protect U.S. government personnel and facilities worldwide. In recognition of her operational impact, Samantha received multiple CIA Exceptional Performance Awards and was part of a team awarded the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation.

Samantha holds a degree in East Asian Studies and Anthropology from Bucknell University and a certificate in Mandarin Chinese from Beijing Foreign Studies University in Beijing, China. She is certified by the CIA in Targeting (Investigations) and Intelligence Analysis, and has professional experience across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Samantha serves on the boards of directors for the Texas Association of Licensed Investigators (TALI) and the International Intelligence Network (Intellenet). She initiated, developed and launched TALI’s groundbreaking training program for new investigators across Texas, which is now in its third year. She also serves on the Ethics Committee of the National Council of Investigation and Security Services (NCISS).

Lawanda D. Vanhorn-Rossell: Recognizing the Signs of Stress and Burnout 

LaWanda D. VanHorn-Rossell, LICSW-S, is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with Supervisory status, clinical supervisor, educator, and community leader with extensive experience supporting individuals and professionals navigating stress, trauma, mental health challenges, and demanding life circumstances. She is also a doctoral candidate in the Doctor of Social Work program at The University of Alabama.

Through her professional and community work, LaWanda is passionate about helping people recognize that caring for themselves is essential to their ability to effectively serve others. Her approach combines practical wellness strategies, professional insight, and real-world application.

For today’s presentation, LaWanda brings a message especially relevant to private investigators: the same attention, awareness, and diligence used to investigate a case should also be used to recognize and respond to the warning signs of stress and burnout in ourselves.