Wells Receives Internal Auditor 2013 Outstanding Contributor Award

Internal Auditor magazine has announced that Dr. Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and chairman of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), has been named 2013 Outstanding Contributor for his April 2012 article “Inside the Fraudster's Mind.”  

Internal Auditor magazine has announced that Dr. Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and chairman of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), has been named 2013 Outstanding Contributor for his April 2012 article “Inside the Fraudster's Mind.”  

Dr. Wells’ piece probes the psyche of the fraudster, gleaning insights from interviews conducted with 10 convicted white-collar criminals. “Auditors must step away from the books and records long enough to consider why — not just how — people commit fraudulent acts,” writes Dr. Wells.  

In a letter to Dr. Wells announcing the award, internal auditor editor-in-chief Anne Millage cited “Inside the Fraudster’s Mind” for its “outstanding quality, clear presentation of ideas, practicality and relevance to the continuing practice of internal auditing.” 

Dr. Wells’ writing has previously won top article of the year accolades from Internal Auditor, Journal of Accountancy and other publications. Since founding the ACFE in 1988, Dr. Wells has written 22 books, authored scores of articles and research projects and lectured to tens of thousands of business professionals.  

Serving for 10 years as an FBI Special Agent, Dr. Wells investigated thousands of fraud cases, ranging from nickel-and-dime con artists to former U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell for his role in the Watergate case. In 1982, he left the government to form Wells & Associates, a firm of criminologists specializing in fraud detection and deterrence.   

In addition to his duties as ACFE chairman, Dr. Wells served as a professor of fraud examination in the Graduate Business School at the University of Texas at Austin where his pioneering work was recognized by the American Accounting Association, which named him Accounting Education Innovator of the Year in 2002. He is also founder and past chairman of the board of directors of the nonprofit Institute for Fraud Prevention (IFP), an anti-fraud think tank.   

Contact the ACFE 
For more information, email PR@ACFE.com.