FBI Securities Fraud Experts Recruit Among College Students at Academic Finance Forum

On Thursday, March 11, Special Agents (SA) Dan Sigmond and Songa Thomas-Montford spoke to an attentive audience of University of New Haven undergraduates in finance. SA Sigmond, who specializes in corporate and securities fraud, and SA Thomas-Montford, a trainer for the New York Division, discussed with the group information related to securities fraud, ponzi schemes, and opportunities with the FBI.

Co-hosted by the University of New Haven (UNH) and the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA), this program brought together experts from various financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs and Standard and Poor's (S&P’s), to provide students with a hands-on industry perspective on practical approaches they can utilize to address their concerns as they prepare to graduate and enter an intimidating job market.

“NYSSA was pleased to host both the students from the University of New Haven and special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I found the students eager to learn more about the security analysis field and how NYSSA can support them throughout their careers,” said Alvin Kessler, executive director of NYSSA.

SA Songa Thomas-Montford addressing questions on FBI opportunities Photo credit: FBI	Left to Right: SA Songa Thomas-Montford, Mr. Brian Stype of NYSSA, and Mr. Sridhar Srinivasan of the University of New Haven Photo credit: FBI

This is the first in a series of student programs for NYSSA and UNH and will be repeated in future semesters. Presenters at the event included:

• Beth Ann Bovino of Standard & Poor's on the current investment climate
• Jeff Evans of National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on securities analysis
• Marnie Gordon, formerly with Goldman Sachs and currently a board member of several NASDAQ-listed companies, on corporate governance
• Brian Stype of NYSSA on NYSSA and NYSSA’s student programs
• Special Agents Dan Sigmond and Songa Thomas-Montford on securities fraud, ponzi schemes, and opportunities with the FBI

Special Agent Songa Thomas-Montford said, “We are constantly searching for a wide range of bright, talented Americans to fill not only special agent roles, but also numerous non-agent positions—from intelligence analysts to cyber experts, from scientists to accountants, from translators to engineers.”

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