Michael L. Robertson Conducts Forensic Questioned Document Examinations Nationwide
The purpose of a Forensic Document Examiner, also referred to as a Questioned Document Examiner, Document Examiner or Document Analyst, is to answer questions and form an expert opinion regarding a document or writing by using a variety of scientific methods.The document analysis process involves a comparison between the questioned document, or its components, to a set of known standards and/or exemplars.
Mike Robertson established his private firm after retiring from the U.S. Secret Service in 1988.Michael is court qualified as an expert witness Fraud Investigator and Forensic Document Examiner in thirty-four judicial venues.He has testified and been deposed in over 250 cases.Michael has been retained by numerous law firms, eight of the Fortune 50 Corporations, federal agencies and hundreds of private citizens. Mike is the only private investigator ever called before the U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee to testify regarding investigative procedures and other related issues. Questioned document examination is commonly referred to as forensic document examination, document examination, document analysis, handwriting examination, handwriting identification, handwriting analysis or forensic handwriting analysis.
In addition to questionable handwriting and hand printing, forged or altered documents may be the subject of alterations, erasures, obliterations, interlineations, post dating, substitutions, scanner fraud and cut and paste.
Often referred to as a handwriting expert, Michael Robertson specializes in the detection, identification and examination of forged or altered documents and medical records, forged signatures, the examination of documents regarding medical malpractice cases, forged election ballots, forged signatures on voter registration cards, anonymous letters, threatening writings, forged prescriptions and wills, and the forgery of hand printing.
Document Examination
Background and Training
Michael L. Robertson served for 17 years as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. One of his duties was to serve as a field examiner in forgery cases and as an examiner of written threats against the President of the United States. He screened suspect writings for submission to the Questioned Document Laboratory in Washington, DC. Invariably the submissions were substantiated in the lab.
Michael received his questioned document examination training from the U.S. Secret Service Training Academy. This academy is utilized by numerous state and local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of training their examiners. Michael received additional training from members of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation Forgery Division, from the examiner at the Cleveland (Ohio) Police Department as well as informal training with other recognized document examiners.
Michael has been qualified as an expert in 34 different court systems, including federal court, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and numerous Common Pleas, Probate and Municipal Courts.
He has been appointed to serve as an expert by various Common Please judges in indigent capital cases.
He has served as a consultant to:
Akron (Ohio) Police Department
University of Akron Police Department
Summit County Ohio Prosecutor's Office
Ohio Public Defender's Office
He has served as a questioned document examiner for:
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Ohio State University College of Dentistry
Ohio State University Police Department
University of Akron Office of the President
University of Akron Police Department
General Motors Corporation (North American Division)
United Parcel Service
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Corporate Offices
United Auto Workers
Hundreds of law firms and private individuals
Robertson Investigations also specializes in medical malpractice cases that involve questioned documents.
Michael maintains a case log to meet the requirements for testifying in federal cases and he has established a methodology protocol, following accepted practices to satisfy Daubert requirements. He maintains a laboratory and facilities where he produces his court exhibits.
Contact our offices today for more information.
A Note to Attorneys
I review other experts' opinions and evaluate their reports for strengths and weaknesses. I can also evaluate other experts potential exaggerations and membership in professional organizations.
I can prepare critical lines of questioning of opposition experts for your use in depositions and/or cross examination.
I have designed and I instruct a Basic Questioned Document course for attorneys. This course has been approved for 3 hours CLE credit by the Ohio Supreme Court. CLE credit can be arranged via your area sponsor (i.e. county bar association). If you are located outside of Ohio you may inquire with your state to see if they accept CLE credit from accredited Ohio CLE courses.
-Michael L. Robertson
The definition of forgery as defined by Black’s Law Dictionary is “the false making or material altering of a document with intent to defraud. A signature of a person made without the person’s consent and without the person otherwise authorizing it. A person is guilty of a forgery if, with purpose to defraud or injure anyone, or with knowledge that he is facilitating a fraud or injury to be perpetrated by anyone, the actor: (a) alters any writing of another without his authority; or (b) makes, completes, executes, authenticates, issues or transfers any writing so that it purports to be the act of another who did not authorize that act, or to have been executed at a time or place or in a numbered sequence other than was in fact the case, or to be a copy of an original when no such original existed…”. The federal government and all states have forgery statutes on the books which include, at least, the essence of this definition.
Forgeries may apply to many types of documents but the most common types in civil litigation are a forged will, forged check and forged contract. Document analysis regarding check forgery and contract forgery are frequently requested of our document examiner, Mike Robertson. Forgeries of wills and trusts often involve family members, associates of the victim or their family, or fiduciary agents.It is uncommon for a stranger to be involved in this type of forgery because they would lack access to documents and not be privy to the inner workings of the family or its finances.Feuding family members sometimes participate in the altering or forging documents of an elderly family member to gain an unfair, and fraudulent, advantage over the opposing side of the family.
Forgery is usually identified as a criminal act, but it is often detected during civil litigation. Many individuals found responsible for forging documents in a civil suit are never prosecuted for the criminal aspect the forgery. A Forensic Document Examiner is often retained during civil litigation for the purpose of analyzing and comparing disputed signatures, suspicious document entries and other forms of suspected forgery or tampering of documents.Michael’s qualifications as a document examiner have also led him into the investigative field of election fraud.
The terms signature analysis and signature comparison are frequently used interchangeably in regards to document examination.Some people spell the word handwriting as two words; hand writing.Handwriting examination, handwriting comparison and hand writing analysis basically mean the same thing just as a handwriting analyst is synonymous with handwriting examiner and hand writing expert.
A handwriting examiner limits their discipline to handwriting examination, handwriting analysis. A questioned document examiner covers a much broader field of expertise regarding the examination of questioned documents.
Forensic handwriting identification, or hand writing identification is a forensic, scientific process which is conducted by a handwriting expert, hand writing experts, or a questioned document examiner.Forgeries are the mainstay of questioned document examiners who are often referred to as handwriting experts.
FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a handwriting examiner and a questioned document examiner?
A handwriting examiner is generally limited in expertise to comparing suspected handwriting or hand printing with known samples to determine authenticity of the questioned document. A questioned document examiner considers many other aspects of a questioned document in addition to the questioned text. Some examples are paper folds, staple holes, inks, paper and erasures to name a few.
What is graphology or grapho-analysis?
Graphology is loosely defined as determining personality and character trait of a person by examining and evaluating their handwriting.This person is known as a graphologist or grapho-analyst.Graphoanalysis is used by some attorneys in the jury selection process where it is important to know if a person is a leader or follower, or if the person is deceitful or trustworthy.Some employers use the same service to evaluate job applicants.In some cases, men/women have their spouse or significant other evaluated for fidelity.Most forensic questioned document examiners are not involved in graphology.
How does a questioned document examiner become certified?
There are no certifications provided by any government agency. Certification is obtained by the examiner via a variety of professional associations, paying their fees and fulfilling their requirements. It is wise to determine which association certified an examiner and their requirements to become certified.
Should two independent examiners with the same level of skill and expertise come to the same opinion when examining the same questioned document?
The simple answer is, "yes." One variable that can affect the opinion is whether both examiners had the same quality and quantity of both known and questioned documents available for their examination.
Can a signature that is witnessed and/or notarized be a forgery?
Yes. Quite often, it can be determined through interviews with the witnesses and notaries that they did not actually see the signature placed on the document. In one case, the witnesses waited in the living room while the daughter took the document into the bedroom for the mother to sign. The daughter then returned to the witnesses with the signed document, and assuming the mother had signed it, the witnesses who were neighbors signed the witness lines. The document was a forgery.
What is a "cut and paste?"
A genuine signature is cut out of a document (or letter or canceled check) and trimmed closely to the signature with scissors. This "cut" signature is then pasted (taped) to another document and a photocopy is made. You now have a genuine signature on a fraudulent document. Quite often a document examiner is able to detect this "cut and paste" forgery method. But in this case, no original document is available; only the fraudulent document with the pasted signature.
Can printing be identified by a document examiner? How about initials?
Yes. Handwriting and printing comparisons are based on identifying individual/unique characteristics of the writer. The more unique the writer's characteristics, the more likely for an identification of the writer. However, if a writer is talented enough to utilize a copybook style of printing and eliminates all of his/her personal and unique characteristics, then the possibility of identifying the writer is unlikely.
Original Documents vs. Copied Documents
When copies of questioned documents are all that are available for the document examination, some elements can still be examined. A few examples are; syntax, margins, spacing, height ratios between letters, letter and letter combination forms, writing / printing style and speed and slant.
Original documents are necessary to compare inks, verify that entries are not "pasted" to the document, identify interlineations, i.e., and added lines of entries between two existing lines of entries, critical examination of entries that can not be completed with copies.
Preliminary examinations are frequently conducted using only copies which is eventually followed up with an examination of the original documents. This usually occurs in plaintiff cases. In the vast majority of cases it is eventually necessary to examine the original documents.
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