Meeting Information

Meeting/Event Information

I Ran a Ponzi Scheme (So You Don’t Have To): An Insider’s Guide to Fraud Prevention and Risk Mitigation

 

February 06, 2025
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
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Berkeley Research Group
70 West Madison Suite 5000
Chicago, IL 60602
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Join the Greater Chicago Chapter of the ACFE for our 2025 Kick-Off event with this in-person meeting! We start at 11:30 am with lunch and networking, followed by a one-CPE-hour presentation by Mark Varacchi. (Registration fee includes lunch and seminar)

Mark Varacchi has immense experience as a former senior finance executive. His 20 years of expertise in creating systems and processes as a hedge fund Chief Operating Officer was eventually used to exploit inefficiencies in compliance and AML. In this session, Mark will share how he ran a Ponzi Scheme, and lessons that organizations and enforcement agencies should consider.

Learning Objectives include:

  • Mark has compiled never seen data from hundreds of financial fraudsters, asking meaningful questions and developing statistics and patterns you simply cannot Google.
  • Learn from real-life case studies from the career of a former senior finance executive that pleaded guilty to securities and wire fraud.
  • Examine the evolution of fraud including past techniques, present strategies and future threats.
  • Understand the necessity of proactive fraud prevention and determining if your “proactivity” is actually preventative.

Mark Varacchi

As a seasoned Hedge Fund CCO/COO/CEO, Mark spent his career meticulously creating, evaluating, and identifying flaws in systems, processes, and software. His unique perspective comes from hands-on experience in circumventing numerous trading, risk, margin, operations, and compliance processes at prime brokers, banks, broker dealers, AML/KYC processes, soft-dollars and investor reporting. This journey allowed him to master both the construction and exploitation of financial systems.

  • Hedge Fund CEO/COO/CCO
    with over 400+ street accounts on one platform, 50+ separately managed accounts, and extensive experience in onshore and offshore funds
  • Ex-Tiger Management and Ex-Diamondback Capital Management Senior Operations.
    Sat directly on the Trading Desk (1999-2001) at a $4B+ AUM Hedge Fund  involved in the largest insider trading case of all time.
  • COO of USA/International Equity Fund for 4+ years, managing trades, swaps, options, and CFDs across Europe, UK, and USA.
  • Former Bear Stearns Internal Control Accountant.
  • 20 years of expertise in creating and exploiting systems as a Hedge Fund COO, with a deep understanding of compliance inefficiencies.

Tickets

$20.00 Standard Member Attendance

$30.00 Non-Member Ticket

$0.00 Board Member Ticket