Quantico, Va. –
Denise is a Forensic Accountant at the Economic Crimes Field Office in Washington, D.C., where she provides financial analytical and investigative support for criminal investigations involving U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel and resources globally. Her work spans a wide range of cases, including espionage, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, corruption, procurement fraud, property crimes, and other domestic and international offenses.
Before joining NCIS, Denise worked as a tax compliance auditor for the Washington State Department of Revenue.
Denise started her NCIS career in 2000 at the Los Angeles Field Office, where she served as a Special Agent investigating procurement fraud. Her successful investigations resulted in millions of dollars in civil recoveries for the U.S. Government, safeguarding warfighters from potentially dangerous counterfeit products in supply chains and protecting sensitive military technologies from being acquired by adversaries. She also contributed her expertise as a task force agent during a temporary assignment to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, using forensic accounting techniques to combat both international and domestic terrorism financing.
I’ve always loved solving complex problems, which led me to pursue accounting and earn my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license. I first met NCIS agents from the Northwest Field Office during a Pacific Northwest License Tax and Fraud Association event. That’s when I learned about the opportunities at NCIS to conduct financial investigations full time and make a difference for our country.
Denise, NCIS Forensic Accountant
In 2007, Denise transferred to NCIS Headquarters as the Economic Crimes Investigations and Operations Desk Officer. There, she oversaw more than 400 fraud investigations worldwide, providing quality control and investigative guidance. She also helped shape agency policy by developing manuals to standardize fraud investigation practices and prepared briefing materials for NCIS and Department of the Navy leadership.
In 2014, Denise became NCIS’ first forensic accountant, recognizing the need for a more specialized forensic accounting approach to financial crimes. She implemented new analytical tools to enhance forensic financial findings for investigators and prosecutors. Additionally, Denise developed policies and training programs for criminal and civil asset forfeiture, as well as procedures for seizing virtual currencies, further modernizing NCIS' investigative capabilities. Her leadership and expertise were key to expanding the forensic accounting program within the agency.
Denise holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Oregon and a master's degree in forensic studies – financial investigations from Stevenson University in Maryland. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA), holds the Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) credential from the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and has been a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) since 2008.