Tom Golden,
CFE, CPA
More than 30 years investigating fraud, corruption and
financial misconduct — and the thrillers inspired by real cases.
Tom Golden, CFE, CPA
Forensic Accounting Investigator • Author • Educator
PwC Partner-in-Charge
Built and led the Chicago Forensics Practice
30+ Years
Investigating fraud globally
Adjunct Professor
DePaul University
Lead Author
Wiley’s A Guide to Forensic Accounting Investigation
Film — Featured Expert
All the Queen’s Horses documentary
Expert Witness & Forensic Authority
ACFE Board of Regents Chairman
Chicago BGA Board Chairman
Speaker for Fortune 500 companies, FBI, IRS and DOL
Expert witness in federal and state jurisdictions
Over Three Decades
Investigating
Fraud &
Corruption.
Tom Golden spent more than thirty years investigating fraud,
corruption, and financial misconduct around the world.
As a PwC Forensics Partner, he built and led the firm’s
Chicago practice, solved complex cases, testified as an
expert witness, and mentored young professionals entering
one of accounting’s most challenging fields.
Today, his mission is different but closely related: to help
the next generation understand how fraud really happens,
why intelligent people miss the warning signs, and what
investigators must do to uncover the truth.
Forensic Accountants are the Navy SEALs of the accounting profession.
They are called when the facts are hidden, the stakes are high,
and ordinary accounting procedures are no longer enough.
Tom brings those lessons to life through practical blog posts,
videos, and the Sam Halloran thriller series, fiction inspired
by real investigations and written by someone who has lived
the work.
Here, you will learn. You will be challenged. And, along
the way, you may be entertained.
The Fraud Guy
Explore Fraud & Forensic Accounting
Practical insights drawn from more than 30 years
investigating fraud and financial misconduct.
01
Understanding Fraud
Learn how fraud happens, why intelligent people miss warning signs, and what to look for.
02
Investigating Fraud
Lessons from the work of forensic accounting investigators when the facts are hidden.
03
Preventing Fraud
Practical lessons for recognizing risk and understanding the realities of financial misconduct.
04
Careers & Lessons
Insights for the next generation entering one of accounting’s most challenging fields.
Insights From the Field
Lessons, observations and practical guidance drawn from more than 30 years investigating fraud and financial misconduct.
Investigating Fraud
A Forensic Accounting Investigation Starts Before Interviews
Forensic accounting is not only about following the money. Long before the first document request or interview, the groundwork for a successful investigation has already begun.
Understanding Fraud
How Ordinary People Rationalize Extraordinary Crimes
Why white-collar criminals often do not see themselves as criminals at all, and what decades of investigations reveal about the psychology behind fraud.
Preventing Fraud
Trust But Verify: The Only Way Trust Survives
The greatest fraud threat often is not an outsider. It is someone already inside the organization, trusted with access, authority and opportunity.
Real Investigations
Real Fraud Cases.
Lessons From the Field.
A future home for case stories and lessons drawn from
Tom’s investigations, including the first fraud that
launched his career and other significant cases.
Case Study
Rita Crundwell Municipal Fraud
Case Study
Detroit Public Schools
Career Story
The First Fraud That Launched Tom’s Career
Investigation
Other Investigations & Lessons
When Real Life Becomes Fiction
The Sam Halloran Thriller Series
The same forensic expertise. Now in fast-paced thrillers
inspired by real investigations.
Tom Golden literally wrote the book on fraud
— then wrote the novels.
Sam Halloran brings forensic accounting into the thriller genre,
with stories shaped by the realities of financial crime investigation.
Speaking & Education
Real Cases. Real Lessons. Real Experience.
Tom’s speaking and educational work centers on fraud investigation,
forensic accounting, fraud psychology and real cases.
