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Curriculum Vitae - Document Examiner - Professional Credentials
Forensic Document Examiner - Expert Witness
Michael L. Robertson
Forensic Document Examiner
Special Agent United States Secret Service (Retired)
Downloadable Version
Michael L. Robertson is the forensic document examiner at Robertson Investigations which he founded 1988 andcurrently operates in NorthCanton, Ohio. Robertson Investigations provides a wide range of investigative and consulting services in both civil and criminal matters to a broadspectrum of clients ranging from - private sector companies and organizations such asGeneral Motors; United Parcel Service; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Coca-Cola, United Auto Workers; to public sector institutions such as the Ohio State University’s College of Medicine, University of Akron, Office of Attorney General and Office of Public Defender for the State of Ohio,the police departments for the cities of Akron and Cleveland, Ohio and various Federal and State Courts. He has been appointed as an expert by judges presiding over indigent felony cases and a document expert in Death Row cases in Ohio. He has consulted for the Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri Office of Attorney’s General on issues of fraud and consumer protection.
In 1966, Michael received a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science (Criminology) degree from the Ohio State University. In 1971, he graduated from the U.S. Secret Service School of Questioned Document Examination. This school utilized some of the preeminent document examiners and forensic technicians (in service) to the federal government of the United States as instructors. Throughout his career, Michael has received extensive academic and continued professional training that strengthened the foundation of his expertise in fraud investigations and the examination of questioned documents.
Michael served as a Special Agent of the United States Secret Service, Department of the Treasury, for seventeen years. During that period his executive protection assignments included the protection of United States presidents, vice presidents, presidential candidates and over 60 visiting head of foreign states and governments. His investigative duties included conducting criminal investigations regarding violations of U. S. Treasury statutes, locating and interviewing suspects who made threats against the President and Vice President of the United States, as well as forgery investigations wherein he served as the resident examiner in the field office to identify or eliminate suspects of forged documents. Michael received an appointment and served as the Special Agent/Instructor and Assistant Course Director for the Questioned Document School at the U.S. Secret Service Training Academy in Washington, D. C. During his tenure at that pre-eminent school, Michael worked directly with some of the leading document examiners and forensic technicians employed by the U.S. federal government in developing coursework and curriculum materials employed in training of highly qualified questioned document examiners for federal, state and local governments in the arts and science of forensic analysis of documents, including but not limited to: paper composition and comparison, fraudulent photocopy reproductions, paper abrasion (i.e. folds, indentations, staple/paper clip marks, rips and tares damage, latent markings, etc), inks, handwriting analysis and identification, typewriting and output of computer printers. This questioned document course was the primary training ground for most document examiners assigned to major police departments and state crime labs across the United States. Michael served in two in-service training blocks with the U. S. Secret Service Forgery Division. His U. S. Treasury Department job description as a criminal investigator stated that he is “an expert in the detection of forgeries.”
Michael conducted investigations of violations of U. S. Treasury Department statutes and continues today with private investigations for corporations, financial institutions and private individuals. He served for one year as the Corporate Security Officer for a subsidiary of PNC Bank and enforced the Federal Reserve regulations involving fraud, wrote the policies to prevent check kiting, created new in-house procedures for officers to enforce government requirements for financial institutions and established aggressive investigative procedures to rid the institution of fraudulent money handlers (resulted in removing 5% of the tellers and other staff in 12 months.) Michael has conducted insurance fraud investigations which included questioned document examination, for numerous insurance companies and affiliated industries.
Michael has attended numerous specialty and in-service schools regarding investigation and forensic matters. In 1986, the Secret Service selected six classic investigations from the thousands of cases investigated all across the United States to serve as models for the correct protocol of investigative standards. Michael was honored with the selection of three of his cases to be part of the six models.
Michael was accepted as a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in 1995. Since entering private practice in 1988, he has served as a questioned document examiner and forensic investigations consultant for a variety of public and private institutions, corporations, financial institutions, law enforcement agencies and eminent law firms. Michael has been court qualified as a fraud investigator in numerous courts and by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). He was appointed Compliance Officer by the Western District of Missouri Federal Bankruptcy Court to oversee the operation of, and prevent the fraudulent activities of a telemarketing corporation that was being monitored by the court. He has been appointed by the U. S. District Court in Cleveland as a defense investigator in a RICO case. Correspondingly, his expertise has been sought out by various legislative and judicial branches of government. He testified as an expert witness before the House Ethics Sub-Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives in the case concerning the expulsion of a Member of Congress on matters relating to evidence, investigative methodology and burden of proof. The Ohio State Public Defender’s Office appointed Michael as a questioned document expert in several capital punishment cases. Additionally, he has received case referrals as an expert questioned document examiner from the Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification, Crime Labs for Lake County, Stark County and City of Canton, Ohio, as well as Cleveland and Akron police departments.
During his career in private practice, Michael has been called to testify as an expert witness in a variety of cases related to questioned documents and fraud cases. His professional credentials have been accepted in over 40 judicial venues ‑ included among them: U. S. Federal District Court and Federal Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, U. S. Federal District Court for the Southern District of Florida along with various Common Pleas, Probate and Municipal Courts in the State of Ohio including Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Courts. Michael was qualified as an expert in document examination by N.A.S.D. in two different panels (Chicago and New York).
The Table below provides a log of recent cases in which he appeared as an expert witness. It may be noted that the vast majority of litigation cases in which Michael rendered an opinion were settled prior to the commencement of the trial.
DATE - ATTORNEY - CASE TYPE/ACTION - COURT (Ohio unless listed)
2005 - Attorney Robert Dean - Testimony - NASD-New York Panel
2005 - Attorney Gerald Petruccelli - Testimony - LRB-Auburn, ME
2006 - Attorney Frank Recker - Testimony - College of Dentistry-Professional Hearing
2006 - Prosecutor - Testimony - Hearing Tribunal
2006 - Attorney Dan Lutz - Testimony - Wayne County OH
2007 - Attorney Mark Skakun - Deposition - Mahoning County OH
2007 - Attorney William Whitaker - Testimony - Northern District of Ohio
2008 - Attorney James Vitullo - Testimony - Mahoning County OH
2008 - Attorney Orville Reed III - Deposition - Summit County OH
2008 - Attorney James Blomstrom - Civil Trial Testimony - Mahoning County OH
2008 - Attorney Sam Perroni - Federal Criminal Trial Testimony - Little Rock
2008 - Attorney Ken Piper - Testimony - Ohio Elections Commission
2008 - Attorney Paul Neal - County Court Testimony - Louisville KY
2009 - Attorney Robert Bracco - Civil Testimony - Franklin County OH
2009 - Attorney Jack D'Aurora - Civil Testimony - Delaware County OH
2009 - Attorney Don Gallick - Civil Testimony - Cuyahoga County OH
2009 - Attorney James Hoffman - Civil Trial - Trumbull County OH
2009 - Attorney Dennis Strong - Civil Deposition - Lucas County OH
Michael has lectured extensively on the subject of forensic documents examination. In 1998, he designed and presently continues to teach a Questioned Document Course for attorneys. This course has been accredited by Ohio Supreme Court for three credit hours of continuing legal education (CLE.)
He presented a lecture titled “Questioned Documents in Medical Malpractice Cases” at the Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers Annual Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
Michael’s expertise concentrates on identifying and documenting the elements of fraud or other criminal conduct based on statutes and regulations in complex matters. He collects information, intelligence, documents and statements from those sources that are the specialists and composes it into an investigative mosaic. This mosaic is then reduced into an understandable, substantive, chronological report supported with exhibits and usually a PowerPoint or ELMO presentation.
Discretion when conducting investigations is critical and part of Michael’s work model. He has conducted sensitive investigations for foreign governments, a major national church, Fortune 50 companies including counter-corporate espionage and theft of intellectual property.
FEES and RELATED COSTS
Hourly rate: $200.00 (for any new work that is authorized and deemed necessary by the client beyond the initial retainer).
Travel fee: $100.00 per hour.
Deposition/Trial: Rates vary depending on location but averages $1250.00 (one-half day or less) for northeast Ohio.
In major cases only, administrative support and use of large quantities of consumable products are charged to the client at the actual cost. These costs do not apply to the average case.
All customary travel and administrative costs at actual expense. Business class airfare, Marriott-type accommodation, four door vehicle rental.
All work is done on a retainer basis. Itemized expense report submitted every 30 days or sooner on short assignments. Government appointments are billed according to Court requirements.
Case Types and Fee ranges
A typical document case with one or two questioned signatures and adequate known exemplars is $900.00. This includes the examination and comparison, an oral report and, if applicable, a written report. Digital exhibits can be prepared at the client’s request for an additional fee.
Medical malpractice questioned document cases often involve examination of intricate entries, interlineations, identifying different inks and subtle alterations or chronology issues. The average retainer for a medical malpractice case is $2500.00, but may be lower or higher, completely depending on the individual circumstances for a particular case.
Background investigations average a $500.00 retainer.
Fraud cases do not have an average due to the number of variables involved.
RICO defense, questionable death and corruption cases generally require a $5,000 retainer. In a case with defined investigative goals, a total cost can normally be provided before the case work begins. In a case with many tangents and/or multiple investigative goals, interim fee ranges are established for approval by the client and the investigation is completed in stages. An exception to the minimum standard retainer is a case with limited and clearly defined investigative requirements
REFERENCES - Michael will provide you with specific references who can address his expertise, reputation and professionalism as it relates to your needs.
