AT: In my more than 20 years working in compliance, I don’t think I have met anyone with a greater passion for conducting investigations and teaching others how to do so. You speak about it regularly, which I want to discuss later in the interview, and you have written three books for us on the topic, with a fourth coming. How did it all begin?
MB: I never planned to become an investigator. I went to law school and became a corporate lawyer. After law firm life, I got married, moved to the suburbs, and became an in-house counsel at AT&T.
AT&T was approached by the U.S. Secret Service for technical assistance with an organized crime investigation. Criminals had infiltrated the prepaid calling card market, which relied on carriers like AT&T. Fraudsters would sign up for high-volume business calling plans, run up huge bills, and then vanish. It was a classic bust-out scheme, telephone style.
Somehow, the request from the Secret Service found me. I worked with the agents and prosecutors for over a year. We even set up a sting operation at AT&T’s offices. I was slated to testify at the trial. It was all very exciting. The bad guys copped a plea at the last moment.
Fast forward a few years, and I joined the compliance profession, focusing exclusively on workplace investigations.
My collaboration with SCCE has only fueled my passion for investigations. From presenting at conferences, teaching investigations at the academies, and writing my books, I improved my own skills and helped others improve theirs. What a great way to channel all my professional energy!
And now, I have my consulting practice to share all I learned over the years to promote the business success of companies, universities, and nonprofits.
AT: You were a reserve police officer in New Jersey for 15 years, retiring as captain. Was this an offshoot of your passion for investigations or something else?
MB: I guess going from cop to company cop sounds logical. But it was something else.
I always wanted to be a police officer like my grandfather. He has been my personal hero and source of inspiration. His career in the New York Police Department, especially at that time, was remarkable.
When I was a kid, I listened to my police scanner constantly. My twin brother and I were addicted to police shows. Even today, I binge-watch Adam-12 reruns. The difference now is I can point out the officers’ mistakes.
My hometown had a reserve police officer program. These are common in police departments and serve as a resource to augment the efforts of full-time officers. It was a great way to serve the community and fulfill a childhood dream.
By the way, people might be curious why someone who lives in Florida would name his consulting practice “Winter Investigations.” It was my grandfather’s surname. It seemed like the right thing to do.
AT: Did anything you learned as a police officer cross over into your investigations work?
MB: We were taught to instruct people to stay in their cars during a traffic stop. If a driver gets out of the car and gets hurt, the officers are blamed because once they begin the encounter, they own everything that happens.
