FinCEN Director James H. Freis, Jr. accepted the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' Cressey Award during a speech delivered July 13, 2009 at the 20th Annual ACFE Fraud Conference and Exhibition held in Las Vegas, Nev.
"I would like to accept this award on behalf of all of the dedicated men and women of FinCEN who work tirelessly in their efforts to combat fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes," Freis told the gathering attended by 2,000 fraud examiners.
The Cressey Award, named in honor of one of the country's foremost experts on fraud and a founding father of the ACFE, Dr. Donald R. Cressey (1919-1987), is the organization's highest honor bestowed annually for a lifetime of achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud.
In his speech, Director Freis also told fraud examiners that their interests in deterring, detecting, holding accountable and seeking restitution from those who perpetrate fraud are directly aligned with FinCEN's mission.