Phoenix Chapter

Phoenix Chapter

OUR MISSION

The mission of the ACFCS Phoenix Chapter is to bring together private sector, law enforcement, and regulatory professionals to collaboratively enhance the education and effectiveness of the multi-dimensional fight against financial crime. Our purpose is to help industry professionals improve results in financial crime detection, investigation, and prevention. The Chapter promotes ACFCS as a platform for collaboration between public and private sector financial crime specialists to facilitate the sharing of best practices.

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Tony Diefert

Co-Chair

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Tony Diefert (Co-Chair) is a Senior Manager at Charles Schwab, working in financial Crimes Risk Management. He conducts complex Enhanced Due Diligence and Periodic Reviews on new and existing high-risk clients, collaborates with the Special Risk Team, and frequently assists the Global Sanctions team. Tony is a marijuana-related businesses subject matter expert and a mentor in the company’s Aspiring Leader Program.

Prior to joining Charles Schwab, Tony spent 20 years as a Detective on the Phoenix Police Department. During his tenure, he infiltrated and successfully prosecuted criminal organizations, identity theft and fraud rings, as well as narco-traffickers.

Tony holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies, minor in Political Science from Northeastern University in Boston, M, a MBA from the University of Arizona, and is a Certified Financial Crimes Specialist.

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Premkumar "Prem" Subramanian

Co-Chair

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Premkumar “Prem” Subramanian (Co-Chair) has over 2 decades of professional experience in Compliance, Risk Management and Internal Audits. He currently works with Oracle in their Financial Services Global Business Unit for the last 14 years. Previously, he started his career as a banker and worked in various compliance and audit related roles. In Oracle he spear heads the compliance related projects for various financial services across North America and Europe. He loves to travel and has widely travelled almost all the continents across the globe. He loves to update himself and always considers a student in both personal and professional life. By qualification, he is a Chartered Banker, UK, Certified Management Accountant, Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Information System Auditor, Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer, Project Management Professional, TOGAF Certified Architect, Certified Cryptocurrency Investigator, Professional Risk Manager, CCSK and MBA from Indian Institute of Management. His mission in life is to save people from being victims / predators of financial crimes. He wants to spend his rest of life towards fulfilling his mission as way of giving back to the society.

Nafisa Kabir

Board Member

LC Baxter

Board Member

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Vic Maculaitis

Chapter Advisor

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Vic Maculaitis (Chapter Advisor) is the Founder and Co-Managing Partner of i3strategies, a strategy consultant that advises financial institutions, investors, and FCRM solutions providers. After starting his career in the USG after 9/11, Vic entered the private sector in 2006 and has served as a board-appointed Chief AML Officer at both FDIC and OCC supervised banks. Vic has done five in-house tours of successfully remediating and transforming AML programs under regulatory scrutiny and/or enforcement. Vic has also been a principal advisor to numerous global bank clients during enforcement actions and congressional inquiries.

Vic was the Founding Partner of the Financial Crimes Advisory practice at AML RightSource, prior to the firm being acquired by Clarion Capital Partners. Vic subsequently founded and operated a data and tech startup for four years. An alum of UCLA Anderson School of Management, Vic also holds degrees from Walsh University and The University of Akron.

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Matt Coates

Chapter Advisor

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Matt Coates (Chapter Advisor) here! Soon to be based back in the Phoenix area after a stint in Tucson. I am excited to join the ACFCS Phoenix Chapter board and looking forward to helping grow this community! A little about myself: I have been in the anti-financial-crimes space for the last 7 years. Starting out in insurance fraud investigations & AML compliance reporting in the US and globally to now building out global compliance programs. The majority of this time has been spent working for firms such as PayPal, Intuit, and now Etsy. I currently lead Etsy’s compliance efforts to build out their CDD, EDD, & AML functions within the EU and US. I have obtained my CAMS certification and am currently studying for the CFCS certification.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family (4 kiddos) getting outdoors hiking, fishing, camping and exploring US National Parks. Huge Star Wars & Marvel fan and you often find me watching a Liverpool game on the weekends or reading/listening to a book when a quiet moment is found.

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

See What Certified Financial Crime Specialists Are Saying

"The CFCS tests the skills necessary to fight financial crime. It's comprehensive. Passing it should be considered a mark of high achievement, distinguishing qualified experts in this growing specialty area."

KENNETH E. BARDEN 

(JD, Washington)

"It's a vigorous exam. Anyone passing it should have a great sense of achievement."

DANIEL DWAIN

(CFCS, Official Superior

de Cumplimiento Cidel

Bank & Trust Inc. Nueva York)

"The exam tests one's ability to apply concepts in practical scenarios. Passing it can be a great asset for professionals in the converging disciplines of financial crime."

MORRIS GUY

(CFCS, Royal Band of

Canada, Montreal)

"The Exam is far-reaching. I love that the questions are scenario based. I recommend it to anyone in the financial crime detection and prevention profession."

BECKI LAPORTE

(CFCS, CAMS Lead Compliance

Trainer, FINRA, Member Regulation

Training, Washington, DC)

"This certification comes at a very ripe time. Professionals can no longer get away with having siloed knowledge. Compliance is all-encompassing and enterprise-driven."

KATYA HIROSE
CFCS, CAMS, CFE, CSAR
Director, Global Risk
& Investigation Practice
FTI Consulting, Los Angeles

READY TO BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY TOWARDS
CFCS CERTIFICATION?