Fingerprint Evidence Expert Witnesses: 4

Richard T. Picciochi is a Questioned Document Examiner with over thirty five years of experience in the New York City Police Department Crime Laboratory and in private practice. He is retired from the NYPD Forensic Investigation Division where he was a Detective, Document Examiner and the Technical Supervisor of the Questioned Document Unit. In the course of his career he has examined thousands of disputed signature, handwriting and document cases, participated in numerous high profile investigations and testified in trials including the "Zodiac" homicides and the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

Mr. Picciochi possesses a background that integrates the natural sciences, forensic sciences and law enforcement investigations. He has earned a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science and has received extensive specialized training in questioned document analysis by the NYPD, the FBI and the United States Secret Service.

Mr. Picciochi is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (ABFDE) and was awarded certification upon completion of comprehensive written, practical and oral examinations. He is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the International Association for Identification.

Mr. Picciochi specializes in the examination of signatures and has testified in state, federal and international courts. He will accept civil, criminal and administrative cases and offers his services to both Plaintiff and Defense attorneys.

• Foundation Fingerprint Course
• Intermediate Fingerprint Course
• Advanced Fingerprint Course
• Scene Examiner
• Trained as Crime Scene Manager
• FERRT (Forensic Evidence Recovery and Retrieval Techniques) Trained

• Criminal Cases - Perform a comparison of an identified case and offer an independent analysis of the identification. Offer evidence to advise the Defense on related fingerprint matters.
• Immigration - Provide an impartial comparison of sets of fingerprints in dispute and provide an independent report into the comparison.
• Civil Cases - Assist Courts and Tribunals throughout the UK and abroad on issues involving contracts, wills and covenants.
• International Electoral Services - analyze ballot slips for duplicate or multiple thumb impressions.
• Fingerprint Development - developed fingermarks are photographed in line with published guidelines which allow for "cradle to grave" service.

James (Jim) K. Ellis is a retired FBI Agent with more than 33 years of complex investigation experience.  He is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Private Investigator, and FINRA Arbitrator. 

During his 29-year career as an FBI Agent stationed in Dallas, Texas, Mr. Ellis earned over 20 awards and commendations. He led investigations on hundreds of complex criminal violations including fraud, money laundering, violent crime, homicide and narcotics trafficking.  He served for ten years on the FBI’s highly acclaimed Evidence Response Team before retiring from the FBI on December 31, 2015.

Litigation Support - After retirement, Mr. Ellis became a Private Investigator specializing in complex fraud investigations and expert witness support for attorneys. He has participated as the lead investigator in dozens of trials at both the federal and local levels. He has years of experience actively working all stages of the litigation process. From running investigations, to the filing of a legal action, to the presentation of the matter in a trial before a jury, Mr. Ellis is exceptionally qualified to help attorneys for both plaintiff and defendant deal with the arduous tasks of preparing for litigation. He is located in Texas but is available nationwide.  

Services Include:

Areas of Expertise:

View JKE Texas Private Investigations' Consulting Profile.

• Examination of Handwriting, Signatures, Fraudulent Additions and Alterations
• Approximate Age of Documents
• Photo Static and Scanned Transplantations of Signatures
• Traced, Freehand and Impersonation Forgeries
• Denial of Normal or Disguised (Changed) Signatures
• Anonymous Letters
• Body Writings on Account Opening Forms
• Denial of Withdrawal of Money
• Development of Latent Finger or Palm Prints from the Cheques
• Bank Documents by Ninhydrin (Chemical) Method Used for Impression Sweat on Paper
• Opinions on Folds
• Sequence of Strokes and Distinction Between Inks
• Insertion of Typed or Printed Matter
• Fake Currency Notes
• Credit Card Forgeries
• Identification of Computer Typed Documents
• Fake Seals and Rubber Stamps