Association of Forensic Document Examiners

The Use of PDFs in Law Offices and in the Document Examiners’ Office
by Dick McEvoy and Charla Janney

This program will consist of lecture and demonstration and will explore the problems, and possible solutions seen, in the use of PDFs in law offices, courts and, finally, the document examiner’s office. The program should enable the examiner to advise clients very concisely as to what type of scanning is, generally, needed for a quality document examination. The program will, also, assist the examiner in getting the best quality image out of what is, quite often, received and considered “best evidence” by the court, or law office. The program will, then, explore some of the uses and advantages that a PDF has for the document examiner, when sending reports, etc., by email, or disk. It will, also, demonstrate the making of PDF presentations. Adobe Acrobat and Photoshop programs will be used to illustrate and demonstrate these matters.

Digital Images & Photoshop:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
by Dick McEvoy

This presentation will address the problems of bad camera exposures and poor scanning techniques. It will, then, address the related problems of trying to correct these poor digital renditions in Photoshop. If overdone, seemingly well-intended image corrections can lead to misrepresentations and misinterpretations of what might be created by the corrections. The question might, then, become: Is the end result interpretive, or demonstrative of the true facts? Or, has the examiner created an image that might be misleading? This program will address some of the pitfalls and the cautions needed when doing digital document examination work. The presentation will consist of both lecture and live demonstration. A “Quick Start” handout will be given as well.

Fraudulent Document Identification Presentation
by Mr. Joe Claypool

This presentation will be a portion of the presenter's Fraudulent Identification Course. We will look at and discuss various protections government issuing entities incorporate into identification documents to counteract fraud. The knowledge of the use of these protections gives clues to authenticity. After the presentation you should have an understanding of and recognize several pieces to the jigsaw puzzle that should be included in an analysis.

Neurological Disorders and Their Impact on Handwriting
by David Shraberg, MD

After idiosyncratic handwriting patterns have been established, the impact over a lifetime of a variety of neurological disorders, particularly those in movement disorder category, may have significant impact on forensic verification of handwriting. This course reviews a variety of neurological and tremor disorders, both movement disorders as well as degenerative conditions of the central and peripheral nervous systems that may or may not have an impact on previously established handwriting patterns. In demonstrating a variety of handwriting samples associated with disease conditions such as Parkinsonism, essential tremor tremor, and apraxia associated with dementia, as well as a variety of toxic and metabolic conditions, the attendee may be able to differentiate and identify handwriting variations and changes versus those that may be forged or otherwise altered.

This course will focus particularly on identifying patterns of handwriting that may or may not be altered by a variety of neurodegenerative and neurological diseases.

With the aging population, the impact of a variety of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases makes the awareness of neurological movement and tremor disorders important in areas of competency and/or altered and forged handwriting.

Reflex of Avoidance in Spatial Restrictions for Signatures and Handwritten Entries
by L. Chris Burkey, BS and Larry S. Miller, Ph.D., D-BFDE
Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology
Forensic Document Examination Laboratory
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN

Forensic document examiners are frequently called upon to authenticate signatures and handwritten entries. Often, questioned signatures and/or handwritten entries are on documents with limited space available to the writer, such as checking and banking instruments, account ledgers, and other forms. In some cases, handwritten insertions are made during the normal course of business or to create a fraudulent document. Handwritten insertions are commonly encountered with medical records, dated entries on calendars, account ledgers, pharmaceutical records, prescriptions and so on. The literature on questioned document examination indicates that a person will normally change the writing size to accommodate the space available. The literature also indicates that a person is reluctant to write across lines or handwriting already present on a document. We refer to this phenomenon as “reflex of avoidance” which may be observed in authentic as well as non-authentic documents. However, the literature does not explain if differences in inserted handwritten entries occur between authentic and non-authentic documents. The current study examined the changes in writing, given a limited amount of space, for documents that are considered authentic and for those considered non-authentic (fraudulent). A population of subjects, ranging in age from 20 to 65, were selected to participate in the study. Subjects were asked to write signatures and sentences on documents with limited space and to insert words and numbers within existing handwritten entries on documents. The results of the study found characteristics of “reflex of avoidance” in many of the participants’ handwriting. These characteristics included changes in height, width, and letter spacing in accordance to the amount of space provided. In addition, there were characteristics in the inserted handwritten entries on documents that would be considered non-authentic that may assist forensic document examiners in the detection of alterations within questioned documents.

Case Study: Identifying the Signer of a Questioned Electronic Signature
by M. Patricia Fisher, M.J., D-BFDE and Claire LaVelle, M.A.

Conferees attending this session will learn from a recent case how the signer of a questioned electronic signature could be identified. In this case, an insurance company modified Topaz Systems, Inc.’s software. Topaz is a company that makes pads and software to capture electronic signatures. Those insured would sign numerous signatures with a pen and paper on top of a pad that captured the signature and metadata electronically. The insured would then get the original copy, while the agent would send the electronic signature with the metadata to the insurance company from the agent’s laptop. The insured, in this case, denied that she had signed a subsequent signature related to the same policy that had been signed one month earlier. This case was unusual because there was a significant number of comparable signatures signed a month before on the same pad and under the same conditions as the questioned electronic signature. Twenty-seven additional known signatures were available on bank and business records. After the case settled, an engineer at Topaz reverse-engineered the questioned signature from the metadata and answered questions that were not easily discernable from the static trace.

Handwritten Electronic Digitized Signatures
by Emily J. Will, D-BFDE

The future is here. Increasingly, Forensic Document Examiners (FDEs) are confronted with known or questioned signatures that have been "captured" and stored electronically. There is a wide range in quality of the capture hardware and software in use today. How should the document examiner approach these cases? What information should be requested from the parties in the case? What procedures are available to the examiner? What are the legal and evidentiary issues? These questions and others will be tackled in this presentation.

A Discussion of Handwriting Methodology
by Emily J. Will, D-BFDE
 
In 2000, AFDE endorsed Modules 1-10 of the handwriting examination methodology developed by Drs. Bryan Found and Doug Rogers and published in the 1999 Volume 12 of the Journal of Forensic Document Examination, entitled "Documentation of Forensic Handwriting Comparison and Identification Method: A Modular Approach".  written. Since its original publication, the Methodology has been updated and has become commonly used in the document examination community.
 
The effectiveness of the methodology as it relates to case work will be discussed, with some specific examples being shared, demonstrating the importance of using a solid methodology in case work.   An open discussion will follow for attendees to share experiences where following a methodology has been problematic and/or provide information on alternative methodologies.  All registered attendees will receive a link to download the current version of the Methodology prior to the symposium.
 

Comparative Differences Between Electronically-Captured Signatures and Conventional Ink Signatures
by Heidi H. Harralson^a (presenting author), Hans-Leo Teulings ^b, and Larry S. Miller ^a
a East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA
b NeuroScript, Tempe, AZ, USA

Digital devices are now widely used in capturing electronic signatures. The resolution quality of captured signatures plus the varying conditions encountered by signers can affect both the graphic details and consistency of signatures. This study investigates the changes that can occur in a signature when a writer uses different signing implements (inking ballpoint pen, noninking digital tablet pen, and mouse) and under different writing conditions. Online electronically-captured signatures are compared to conventional paper and ink signatures to determine handwriting differences. Sixteen subjects wrote signatures on a digital tablet using a ballpoint pen, digital tablet pen, and mouse. Significant differences in temporal and spatial features were found between each of the three conditions. Individual results showed an increase in intra-writer variability in the digital pen and mouse conditions. Results suggest forensic document examiners need to carefully evaluate limitations when comparing electronically-captured signatures to conventional pen and ink signatures.

An Exploration of Ethics
by Barbara Shipper, D-BFDE

Identification of Handwriting: The Daubert Challenge Applied For The First Time In Puerto Rican Courts
by, Evaristo Alvarez Ghigliotti, BS,MA,LL.B, CLFDE, CFE,LPI

For the first time in twenty eight years of QDE testimony in Puerto Rican Courts I confronted a Daubert Challenge in a testamentary will case in 2011.

The landmark 1993 U.S. Supreme Court decision Daubert vs. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., eventually gave birth to other controversial and historical cases: General Electrical Co. Vs. Joiner (1997) and Kumho Tire Co. vs. Carmichael (1999). In 2010 in Manuel Navas Pavia EX PARTE, Civil No. KJV2010-0144 Protocolization of a Testamentary Will, the opposing attorneys used the Daubert Challenge to attempt to discredit and invalidate the expert testimony and forensic report. The Daubert Challenge failed, and the client won his case on the superior court level and in the appellate court.

The types of questioned posed in the qualifications process, training, experience, scientific bases in handwriting, handwriting principles, amount of exemplars used for comparison purposes, references, etc. will be discussed.

Invisible Inks: A Brief History and How-To for Forensic Document Examiners
by Joseph Barabe, McCrone Associates

From love letters to espionage, invisible inks have played an interesting and sometimes amusing role in written communications, and even as part of Washington’s Revolutionary War strategy. This paper will survey the history of their use from early times to contemporary digital applications and will provide a selection of recipes for their concoction.

THE OATH OF A FREEMAN: Earliest American Printing or Modern Fake?
by Joseph Barabe, McCrone Associates

THE OATH OF A FREEMAN is one of the most thoroughly analyzed artifacts of Americana. It has been examined by the Library of Congress, the American Antiquarian Society, the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory of the University of California, and several other laboratories, including that of Dr. Walter C. McCrone. In this paper, we will survey the numerous technical reports and take yet another good look at this intriguing document.

Introducing Two New Video Spectral Comparators from Foster + Freeman - the VSC40FS and VSC40HD, for Forensic Document Examination
by F. L. “Jim” Lee, Jr., BS, MS.

The purpose of this presentation is to introduce and familiarize the attendee at this presentation with the benefits of two new video spectral comparators - the VSC40FS and the VSC40HD, that are multi-spectral document examination systems for examining a wide range of questioned documents. The goal of this presentation is to enhance the understanding of the capabilities and benefits of each of these compact, computer driven document examination systems, respectively.  

An Elemental Approach To Questioned Document Examination Using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) and Elemental Composition Comparator (ECCO)
by F. L. “Jim” Lee, Jr., BS, MS.

The purpose of this presentation is to provide a familiarization with Foster + Freeman’s ECCO, Elemental Composition Comparator; a recent development in technologies that may be applied to questioned document examination. Introduced is the theory and application of the ECCO that employs Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the elemental examination of paper, banknotes, metallic foils and coins.  The results of completed as well as updates from on-going applications research using this instrument will be presented. The goal of this presentation is to enhance the understanding of the discriminating power of this methodology, as related to the examination of questioned documents.

Brain and Handwriting: What is the difference between writing and signing?
by Graziella Pettinati

How the brain works will be explained briefly, followed by discussion of the differences between writing text and writing a signature as presented by two French neurologists, Georges SERRATRICE and Michel HABIB, in their very interesting book titled “L’écriture et le cerveau – Mécanismes neuro-physiologiques” (Brain and Handwriting – Neurophysiological mechanisms). Knowing these fundamentals differences can be very helpful for an FDE, especially when he/she is dealing with an Alzheimer patient.

Expressing Opinions
by Steven A. Slyter, D-BFDE and Vickie Willard, D-BFDE

The results of a study will be presented which explores how examiners express opinions. A comparison will be made between those using the language offered in ASTM E1659 Standard Terminology for Expressing Conclusions of Forensic Document Examiners, how the user defines each of the categories, and those using other descriptive words. Other aspects of opinions will also be discussed.

Anatomy Of A $300 Million Bank Fraud Case: Exposing A Document Examiner's Flawed Analysis
by Andrew Sulner, MSFS, JD, D-BFDE

A lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court against the largest bank in the Philippines to enforce payment of an official bank check in the face amount of twelve billion pesos (equivalent to 225 million US Dollars). The lawsuit also sought damages of $75 million, representing interest accrued since the negotiable instrument was issued. In this presentation, Mr. Sulner will describe the fascinating background and intrigue surrounding this federal court case, the expert opinions presented by him and the plaintiff’s document examiner, and the outcome.

Reliability and Validity in Forensic Document Examination Using Content Analytical Methodology
by Mara Merlino, Ph.D. and Tierra M. Freeman, Ph.D.

Content analysis is a systematic research methodology used by scientists in a variety of fields to analyze many forms of recorded information, such as books, web pages, papers, paintings, speeches, or law and constitutions. Dr. Freeman and Dr. Merlino will discuss the concepts of reliability and validity in the context of evidentiary challenges to the admissibility of QDE testimony, and will discuss content analysis as a possible systematic methodological tool for improving the reliability and validity of QDE methodology and findings. They will also discuss statistical analyses that can be conducted on content analyzed data, which may provide a way of quantifying the reliability of examinations involving multiple examiners.

Requested Writings As Exemplars From An Admitted Forger
by Robin D. Williams, D-BFDE

What procedure would you employ if an admitted forger stated under oath that they signed another person’s signature on documents, but could not remember if they signed the documents in question. The Forensic Document Examiner had to prove or disprove whether the admitted forger signed it.

Robin D. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Administration of Justice from American University, Washington, D.C., a Master of Forensic Sciences Degree from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., a Master of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin, and is a PhD candidate in Safety Engineering from Kennedy-Western University, Boise, Idaho. Mr. Williams is a member of the Association of Forensic Document Examiners, and is Board Certified with the Board of Forensic Document Examiners, which is certified by the Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board.

Mr. Williams has full-time/part time experience as a police science instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Green Bay, WI, and Blackhawk Technical College, Janesville, WI, and has been certified by the State of Wisconsin Department of Justice Training and Standards Board to teach Law Enforcement Certification courses.

The Application and Reliability of "Formal Request Signatures" Versus "Contemporaneous Course of Business Signatures"
by Robin D. Williams, D-BFDE

This case study will address the potential problems faced by a Document Examiner, when only working with "Formal Request Signatures" related to a signature examination.

Mobile Remote Deposit Capture
by Allen Duffin, Financial Intelligence Unit - PNC Bank

An overview of Mobile Remote Deposit Capture and how this will impact document examiners. For information, MRDC is a product being offered by many banks that allows consumer customers to deposit checks through their mobile phone.

Allen Duffin is currently the Manager of the PNC Card & Lending Investigation Services Group. His team provides full investigation services and event forensic analysis for credit card, debit card and lending operating loss incidents and suspect activities. His responsibilities include significant event management, root cause analysis and strategic planning to reduce financial exposure, enhance the customer experience and improve information management.

Mr. Duffin has more than 35 years of financial institution experience, all in security related areas. He has held management positions in the Physical Security, Business Resiliency and Records Management areas but the majority of his career has been devoted to fraud prevention and investigation.
Mr. Duffin holds a B.S in Management from the University of Louisville and certificates from the National Crime Prevention Institute (NCPI)

DAMILIC The World Leader in Handwriting Automation
by Mark Kruger

A demonstration of Autopen technology with questions and answers related to Forensic Document Examination.

Autopen Signatures and Identifiers
by Lynne Variano, D-BFDE


Can a single autopen signature matrix be altered to introduce minute characteristic changes? We’ll learn the answer to this important question as well as discover clues how to distinguish an autopen signature from one that is naturally written. Autopen signature devices are used by celebrities, politicians, and corporate executives who want their signatures to have an original appearance by exhibiting a “wet-ink” look. We'll also learn what improvements have been made to this technology over the last decade."

Lynne Variano has been an active document examiner for 29 years, and her office is on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a suburb of Los Angeles County, California. Having held Board certifications from IAQDE, and WADE before that, Lynne was certified by the Board of Forensic Document Examiners in 2004. She has been a member of AFDE since 1999 and has served as Secretary and currently as Treasurer.

Lynne has presented numerous papers in the past. She has worked with detectives of the Torrance, CA Police department and bank check paper and ink manufacturers to experiment with chemicals in determining what chemicals would wash what kinds of pen inks from check security paper. Her findings have been published.

Some Applications/Softwares on Automated Forensic Handwriting Analysis
by  Inés Baldatti, FDE

Some words about the different tools shown at ICDAR Conferences and AFHA Workshop, Beijing, 2011.
Which features they measure? How they consider the results?

Inés Baldatti is a Forensic Document Examiner and a student at the University Institute of Argentine Federal Police. She is also an Analyst of Apocryphal Currency at the Central Bank of Argentina.

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