Criminal Investigation Expert Witnesses: 14

Experienced in Fire Cause and Origin, Arson Prosecution and Defense, Product Subrogation, Fire and Building Codes, Life Safety Codes, Fire Injuries and Fatalities, as well as Fire Department Operations and Management. 

John Michael Agosti & Associates provides assistance to insurance companies, attorneys and other agencies in the determination of cause and origin in fires and explosions. Our goal is to provide independent and articulate findings to you the client, quickly and accurately. 

With over 28 years of fire department experience and 15 years in the private sector, Mr. Agosti has completed over two thousand investigations of fires, explosions, and life safety incidents. He has testified in both federal and state courts for both plaintiff and defense clients.

Archuleta & Associates Investigative Services, a Division of Archuleta & Associates, Inc., has been providing investigative services within various industries since 1982. They are the overwhelming leaders within the CA Central Valley. The clientele of Archuleta & Associates, Inc. consists of every level of business, from both the private and public sector. Due to the wide range of services provided and their 25 years within the industry, they have worked with an extremely diverse and vast clientele base, from the largest of litigation firms to the smallest of personal clients. 

Robert A. Archuleta launched his career as a Private Investigator in 1983, after five years as an officer, investigator and sergeant for the Lodi Police Department, followed by stints as an engineering contractor and a deputy U.S. Marshal. Among his other clientele, Mr. Archuleta has been as an Expert Witness for the Department of Consumer Affairs for the State of California. 

Services Include:

Michael W. Staples is a former Ohio Board of Medicine Investigator and a former Law Enforcement Narcotics Detective. He is the Chief Compliance Officer for several large healthcare practices and conducts back to front door inspections of healthcare providers to ensure compliance, and has taught continuing medical education to healthcare professionals. 

Litigation Support  -Mr. Staples has worked in Law Enforcement on Drug and Healthcare cases. He's testified in federal court as an expert witness on healthcare compliance matters and has worked as a consultant for licensed healthcare professionals and practices.

Ideal Client Engagement - A licensed healthcare professional/practice or their legal counsel in which there was no criminal intent on the part of the client, and they are being administratively or criminally investigated or charged based on misinterpreted or misrepresented administrative guidelines, so-called "red flags", or targeted undercover operations in which the law enforcement officer uses words and tactics that blur the line between their professional duty to treat and an alleged criminal act.

Areas of Expertise:

Peter Wade had a 32 year career with the U.S. Postal Service retiring in 1993 as Assistant Regional Chief Postal Inspector, Northeast Region, with responsibility for implementation of the criminal investigative and security programs of the Postal Inspection Service in the Northeastern United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. 

Mr. Wade also served as General Manager/Postmaster Caribbean Division, USPS, supervising 3,500 postal employees in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In that capacity, he was responsible for all postal operations in the U.S. Caribbean from 1989 through 1991. 

Litigation Support - Peter Wade is a Federal court qualified expert in Postal Procedures and Postal Inspection Service policies, investigative methods and techniques. He has provided expert opinions concerning  U.S. Postal Service, rules, and procedures in numerous federal and state jurisdictions in criminal and civil cases since 1994 through 2017. 

Federal Jurisdictions include the Districts of Connecticut, New Jersey, Southern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of Florida, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern Districts of California, Eastern and Western Districts of Washington, Western District of Missouri, Middle District of Georgia, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, etc. 

State Court testimony include jurisdictions in Florida, California, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Oregon, Kansas, Louisiana, and Arizona. 

Areas of Expertise:

My name is David T. Sweeney.  I am a Police Policy and Procedure expert and a retired 34-year veteran police leader with Seattle Police and Oregon State University PD.  I have decades of experience supervising a large number of police officers and supervisors. I am currently employed as adjunct faculty in the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University. I enjoy assisting with expert reviews of policing best practices for a variety of legal standards for police departments. As an expert witness, I have been pleased to work with both plaintiff and defense attorneys. I will give you an honest assessment of your case, so that I can provide the best reports and helpful testimony. I have experience with 29 total cases: 11 defense cases and 18 plaintiff cases.

Litigation Support - My goal is to improve best practices in policing by offering expert witness and police consultation services. I am also a trained mediator specializing in workplace conflicts. I provide honest, unbiased opinions. I will be happy to review and discuss your case. I will point out strengths and weaknesses of the case, and we can work on next steps, whether it be further case review, expert report, deposition, or trial testimony. I have spent 21 years as a sergeant and lieutenant, responsible for training and reviewing topics such as police pursuits, use of force, police tactics, de-escalation, police supervision, less lethal weapons, active shooter, SWAT, crowd control, legal standards, EEO, Human Resources, U.S. 1983 cases, and more.

 Areas of Expertise:

View David T. Sweeney's Consulting Profile.

Rachael Frost, Master Inv. (ret.) is a VIOLENCE RECOGNITION & RESPONSE SPECIALIST with over 20 years of experience in law enforcement practices and procedures investigation, domestic violence-related persons' investigation and policies, grants, and program development. She was the Riverside Sheriff’s Department’s first expert witness in domestic violence and developed a self-sustaining program in the Department to encourage future witnesses and abuse specialists.

Ms. Frost is currently a Sexual Assault Expert Cadre of Experts for End Violence Against Women International and a grant writer for more than $4 million in grant monies and programs to develop these areas of recognition, investigation, and response. She is also a Masters staff member for the Training Institute of Strangulation Prevention, works with the Communications Committee for the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals, and is Chief Financial Officer for the non-profit Kids Court, which addresses trauma concerns of children who are involved in the court system.

Ms. Frost evaluates and reviews Law Enforcement Policies and Procedures having worked in personnel and policy cases with Internal Affairs and as a program and policy developer. Her expertise has been used in high-profile cases involving law enforcement procedures. She specializes in case preparation for Intimate Partner Violence Issues in Family, Civil, and Criminal court, including how domestic violence may affect children and law enforcement responses and investigation practices into abuse and threat cases. She is the Abuse and Law Enforcement Investigations Specialist hired by attorneys across the nation.

Ms. Frost has the direct experience needed in court; working in the field with victims of abuse and in Internal Affairs thoroughly investigating policy violations. Comfortable on the witness stand, she has testified numerous times as an expert witness for prosecution and defense, respondent and plaintiff in Family, Criminal, and Civil cases, because true testimony does not change dependent on your client. She has conducted hundreds of investigations into abuse and law enforcement related cases. Rachael Frost - Expert Witness Website.

Expert witness services in the areas of law enforcement response to:

View FROST ICED'S Business Consulting Profile.

Global Forensic Services, LLC (GFS) is a Forensic Consulting, Laboratory and Investigative Firm offering over 44 years of experience and training in a wide range of forensic science and private investigation disciplines.

Larry Stewart has personally examined tens of thousands of individual items of evidence from sources such as state, local, and federal agencies (e.g. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Secret Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Central Intelligence Agency, and others), and foreign governments. On several occasions he has examined cases involving international disputes between governments. 

Mr. Stewart has testified as an Expert Witness in state, federal and military courts of law, as well as in foreign court systems to include; Austria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Sri Lanka and Thailand. He has also testified at The Hague in the Netherlands and three times as an expert before the U.S. Congress. 

Areas of Expertise Include:

Robert T. Johnson is a Law Enforcement Veteran with 32 years of active service. As a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the Illinois State Police, Mr. Johnson continues to serve as a private consultant and expert witness regarding Law Enforcement Policies and Practices most frequently for Use of Force and Police Pursuits but has also testified regarding other police policy & practices issues. He also conducts Sensitive Internal Investigations as an independent investigator for municipalities regarding allegations of Police Misconduct.

Mr. Johnson has extensive experience in Police Administration, Management and Supervision, Criminal Investigations, Use of Force and Officer Invoved Shooting Investigations,Patrol Procedures, Complaint/Internal Investigations and Task Force Operations. Robert Johnson has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal court. He has consulted and testified for numerous police agencies as well as plaintiffs in litigation regarding the use of force/deadly force, pursuits, emergency vehicle response, and other policy issues. Mr. Johnson has been retained as an expert in well over 150 cases and has testified at several civil trials, State & Federal.

Areas of Expertise:

• Agency Policies, Practices and Customs
• Batons, Flashlights and other Impact Weapons
• Chemical Irritants & Electrical Weapons
• Deadly Force; Shooting Avoidance and Alternatives
• Employee Dishonesty Investigations
• Neck Restraints and Similar Defensive Tactics
• Positional Restraint Asphyxia
• Prisoner Transport, Restraints, Handcuffing and Hog-tying
• Retention of a Known Unfit Employee or Negligent Entrustment of a Weapon
• Search and Seizure
• Standards for Discipline, Internal Affairs Procedures, (In)Adequate Punishment
• Use/Protection of Confidential Informants
• Vehicle Pursuit & Emergency Response Policies & Techniques

View Consulting Profile.

Michael Levine is one of the most decorated Supervisory Agents in the history of the Drug Enforcement Administration. A US Law Enforcement Procedure Expert, Mr. Levine has many decades of courtroom experience (civil & criminal) as a Trial consultant and Expert Witness, including 25 years of service with DEA, Customs, BATF, and the IRS Criminal Investigations Division. Mr. Levine's supervisory and other law enforcement experience includes being in command of task force units combining officers of FBI, BATF, IRS, Customs, NYPD and other police agencies, service as an Internal Affairs supervisory investigator, a senior inspector with the Department of Justice OPR, Office of Professional Responsibility, and Director of a sheriffs department drug bureau. 

Mr. Levine, during his decades of trial experience, both as a senior law enforcement officer including the past 30 years as a professional trial consultant, has qualified as an expert witness for both prosecution and plaintiff as well defense, in federal and state courts including 19 states, Puerto Rico and 8 foreign nations. He offers full trial consulting and investigative services in both criminal and civil matters as follows: Expert Witness File Review and Strategy Assessment; Case Particular Design of Cross-Examination "menus"; Investigative, Technical and Research Support; Expert Witness Report and/or Affidavit Preparation. Utilizing his extensive experience as a Supervisory Internal Affairs Investigator, he can also identify the elements of probable cause indicative of false reporting, cover-up, and the concealment of Brady materials. Since the year 2007 he has been retained by the Atlanta and DeKalb County District Attorneys Offices, to conduct police-involved shooting reviews and as such has testified before criminal grand juries leading to the indictment and conviction of law enforcement/violators. 

Mr. Levine specializes in full trial consulting services and expert testimony in criminal and civil matters and has testified as an expert in the following areas of expertise:

A listing of his cases may be found on his website www.policetrialexpert.com.

Michael Levine is the only US law enforcement expert ever admitted to testify before a Japanese court, (Japan v Goldstein) and used the Blind Mule Defense, which resulted in an acquittal. He is a best-selling author, media consultant, lecturer and police instructor with extensive experience as court-qualified expert witness and trial consultant in civil and criminal matters.

Since leaving the Department of Justice, he has been retained in excess of 500 occasions as a trial consultant/expert witness throughout the United States, Canada, England and Japan. Mr. Levine has also remained active as a police instructor in the US, Canada and Australia. In January of 2008, his police instructional manual "Undercover Tactics and Informant Handling" previously written for the Department of Justice, was published by the New York State Department of Justice Services and utilized as an instructional manual for New York State law-enforcement. The manual was subsequently edited and republished by the US State Department for the instruction of Brazilian Federal Police which was conducted by Mr. Levine and his team of US-based experts. The manual was subsequently republished via academia.edu from where it is now among the top .05% of Global downloads by police agencies, attorneys and researchers.

 View Michael Levine's Consulting Profile.

Myron K. Smith is a Narcotics Expert with over 30 years of experience in his field of expertise. He provides Consultation and Expert Testimony in cases involving Narcotics offenses. Mr. Smith is a panelist and instructor to law enforcement officers, government officials, and grand juries on Police Procedures and Drug Identification. He has been accepted in several states (Local and Federal Courts) in all facets of narcotic criminal investigations.

Areas of Expertise:

Background Experience - Prior to founding S.E.C. Group, Inc., Mr. Smith worked with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia for 30 years, the last 13 years in the Narcotics and Special Investigations Unit. He has been recognized as the Resident Narcotic Expert by the DC Superior Court and the US District Court of Washington, DC. Mr. Smith has been awarded over 20 citations and commendations for achievements in law enforcement as a Grade 2 Detective.

Selected Career Highlight:

• Selected as the Lead Investigator on several narcotic cases-supervising the coordinating of all appropriate personnel and required organizational efforts
• Participated in over 1,000 narcotic related investigations with the MPD and other agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Military Services, and Local Police Department
• Worked extensively in an “undercover” capacity on over 100 assignments to combat illegal narcotic activities
• Provided courtroom “expert testimony” in over 1,000 cases involving the prosecution of narcotic offenses

Arthur S. Chancellor is a Law Enforcement Expert with over 40 years of experience, including 30+ years as a Special Agent, supervisor, and Commander with the US Army Criminal Investigation Division. He is currently serving as an Instructor and Consultant at Second Look Training and Forensic Consulting, LLC.

Litigation Support - Mr. Chancellor has personally investigated or supervised several thousand felony investigations which occurred on a military base or in the civilian community. He has processed over 200 homicide death scenes and qualified multiple times as an expert witness in the area of Crime Scene Analysis and Crime Scene Examination. His mission is to provide an accurate evaluation of criminal investigations and crime scenes for prosecutors or defense to enable them to make informed decisions about their case. 

Mr. Chancellor's focus in the last 15 years is on death and sexual offenses. His specialty is Staged Crime Scenes also known as Staging which is a crime scene alteration made by an offender to misdirect a criminal investigation. His most recent consultations have centered on homicides staged to resemble some other event or in false sexual assaults.

Areas of Expertise:

Professional Organizations: 

• American Academy Forensic Science (AAFS) Fellow status
• Member International Homicide Investigators Association (IHIA)
• International Association for Identification (IAI)
• North Carolina Homicide Investigator Association (NCHIA)

 View Second Look Training and Forensic Consulting Profile.

Dr. Roy G. Taylor is a current Chief of Police with over 40 years of experience in a wide-range of federal, state, local, and private criminal justice positions. Dr. Taylor specializes as an expert witness in Police Practices and Procedures and Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Current Positions:

• Chief of Police Blue Ridge Public Safety (2014)
• President/CEO Signal 88 Security of Charlotte (2012)
• President/CEO Capitol Special Patrol (2012)
• Chief of Police Capitol Special Police (2002)
• Lt. Colonel – Provost Marshal, Army National Guard (2000)
• Antiterrorism / Emergency Management Branch Chief DoD (2007)
• Provost Marshal Joint Civil Support Task Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff (2014)

Litigation Support - Dr. Taylor is called upon to analyze cases from both defense and plaintiff perspectives. His services include case review, written reports, deposition, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

View Roy Taylor's Consulting Profile.

Beth A. Mohr, CFE, CFCS, CAMS, CCCI, MPA, PI, is a Police Practices expert with over 30 years of sworn and non-sworn investigative experience.  Ms. Mohr has testified as an expert in numerous state and federal court proceedings, depositions, and administrative hearings federal and state courts, including New Mexico, Ohio, Illinois, Arizona, California, and Washington state.  Ms. Mohr has testified on a variety of subjects, including police procedures, police misconduct, white collar crime and fraud examinations.  Her expertise has been verified by the courts via a Daubert challenge, in which Ms. Mohr was found to be qualified as an expert in police practices generally, and well as the specific areas of interviewing, interrogation, false and recanted confessions, cognitive bias, investigations and investigative failures, vice, and human trafficking.  Ms. Mohr is neutral, fair, and her opinions are rooted in provable facts, as well as academic literature, where appropriate.  She strives to balance her cases between defense and plaintiff-sided cases, and also provides habeas consulting services.  

Ms. Mohr is credentialed as a Nationally Certified Law Enforcement Instructor by the IADLEST, and is one of fewer than 150 individuals who have been nationally certified as an expert law enforcement instructor.  She is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), Certified Financial Crimes Specialist (CFCS) and a Certified Cyber Crimes Investigator (CCCI).  She is also a Private Investigator (PI) licensed in New Mexico, Arizona, and California.  

Areas of Expertise:

• Police Practices and allegation of Police Misconduct
• Use of Force, Excessive Force, Deadly Force
• Taser, ECWs, and other uses of force intended to be less-lethal
• Interviewing, Interrogations & False and Recanted Confessions
• Police Ethics
• Investigative Failure
• Habeas Consulting, including death penalty cases
• False Arrest
• Failure to Train / Failure to Supervise               
• Evidence Handling
• Police Policy, SOPs
• Fraud & White-Collar Crime
• Vice & Human Trafficking
• Money-Laundering Cases
• Cryptocurrencies / Bitcoin
• Retaliation & Qui Tam
• Workplace Violence & Sexual Harassment
• Private Investigations & PI Failures

During her career with the San Diego Police Department, Ms. Mohr was awarded three Commanding Officer’s Citations, which were the highest awards offered by the San Diego Police Department for investigative acumen at the time.  After retiring from the San Diego Police Department, she conducted death penalty mitigation investigations, and other complex felony investigations, including homicide and white-collar cases, for the Whatcom County, Washington, Public Defender’s Office.  This includes conducting investigations of allegations of police misconduct for the City of Albuquerque Independent Review Office. Ms. Mohr recently chaired the City of Albuquerque’s Police Oversight Board, a civilian board which was created as part of the US Department of Justice’s Consent Decree with the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque Police Department.

Ms. Mohr has published a chapter entitled “Skepticism”, in the newly-released book The Art of Investigation Revisited, as well as having penned articles for bar journals and other peer-reviewed publications.  Ms. Mohr has taught courses on law enforcement topics including interviewing techniques, investigative ethics, evidence collection, financial and fraud investigations, and many other topics.  Her ethics courses, investigative courses, and fraud courses are certified for law enforcement credit.  

Adam Bercovici has over 40 years of experience in the Police and Security field. Mr. Bercovici spent 30 of those years with the LAPD, 20 as a supervisor and manager. He is currently a retired LAPD lieutenant and former security company CEO.

Background: Mr. Bercovici's leadership assignments included the Criminal Investigation Section- Major Crimes Division-The Joint Terrorism Task Force, The FBI Violent Crime Task Force ( where he supervised the FBI Fugitive Task Force), The Special Investigation Section, and Homicide Special Section. 

Since 2012, Mr. Bercovici has worked as a licensed private investigator and subject matter expert, and consultant in the areas of Police Practices and Complex Police Investigations. His clients have included major law firms, insurance companies, and corporations.  Mr. Bercovici is currently retained on several high-profile cases.  He is an experienced Expert Witness who has written numerous Rule 26 Reports and has testified in both State and Federal courts.  Writing examples can be provided.  Mr. Bercovici has been an on-air talent, producer, and script and story consultant in the entertainment industry.  He was the Co-Talent on The History Channel Series JFK Declassified-Tracking Oswald.  Mr. Bercovici was the Executive Producer for American Cartel for Discovery Plus. 

Litigation Support: Adam Bercovici splits his work between defense and plaintiff. He has been retained by major civil rights firms, major municipalities and their legal counsel, plaintiff attorneys, city attorneys, and criminal defense attorneys. Mr. Bercovici accepts work based on the merits of the individual case.

Areas of Expertise: