Fingerprint Evidence Expert Witnesses: 4

Richard T. Picciochi is a Forensic Handwriting and  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 New York City  "Zodiac" homicides and the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

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 handwriting and 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.

• 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

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.