JUSTICE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Executive
Mr. Smith is an executive level professional with over 20 years of combined law enforcement and private industry experience. Leading organizational teams of up to 200 personnel, Mr. Smith has applied effective direct leadership techniques and appropriate delegated oversight. Following his graduation from the police academy, Mr. Smith immediately began his police patrol duties in Clay County, FL. After being recognized as "Deputy Sheriff of the Year" in 2002, Mr. Smith was promoted to Detective and assigned to work cases involving special victims. Following his very rewarding time spent working with special victims and bringing suspects who commit these heinous crimes to justice, Mr. Smith transitioned to White Collar Crimes and was assigned to the US Secret Service NE FL High Tech Task Force.
In 2006, Mr. Smith began working with SafeGuard Services, a Program Integrity Contractor for the US Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Mr. Smith focused on proactive data analytics and healthcare fraud investigations, quickly moving to a leadership position, ultimately being approved by CMS for three different "key personnel" positions during his tenure. Responsible for the complete operations of the Southeastern Unified Program Integrity Contractor, Mr. Smith continued to focus on innovative data techniques and proactive initiatives resulting in millions of federal healthcare dollars recovered and prevented from being improperly paid. Realizing his need to continue service to the Citizens of the State of Florida, Mr. Smith also continued his work as a certified police officer with the State of Florida, where he earned the State of Florida, Department of Environmental Protection Life Saving Award.
In 2018 Mr. Smith Joined The Justice Group, Inc. led by Tom Larned, a distinguished former FBI Executive, Special Agent, and Attorney. Together, Mr. Larned and Mr. Smith lead The Justice Group's current efforts in combatting healthcare fraud, conducting investigations of varying complexity and scope, developing data analysis techniques, and providing consulting services of other specialties involving the application of federal and state regulations.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Owner
- Owner and Founder of 4Discovery
Chad Gough is the owner and founder of 4Discovery. He has over 18 years of experience in all aspects of digital forensics, electronic discovery, and information security matters. Chad provides expert testimony and consulting on forensic matters. He routinely presents on a multitude of electronic evidence topics at various professional organizations for attorneys, litigation support professionals, corporate general counsels, forensic examiners, and information security professionals. Chad currently teaches courses on computer forensics and incident response at DePaul University, focusing on internet vulnerabilities, criminal activity, and investigative procedures.
Christopher A. Gizzi is a highly accomplished Forensic Accountant with over 25 years of investigative forensic accounting experience pertaining to U.S. Code federal statues in criminal, white collar and terrorism investigations. Chris has been a part of the FBI for over 20 years and built a superior reputation for excellence in collaborating with all law enforcement partners to share intelligence, strategize for investigative goals and exchange ideas
Job Titles:
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Courtney Thomas has over 20 years of experience working in the mental health field. He has extensive training and experience in crisis de-escalation and hostage negotiation situations. Dr. Thomas has prioritized social justice initiatives to develop policies and programs to assist under-served communities to allow them greater access to mental health services. He has worked with local governments and community based organizations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and San Francisco. He is part of a collaborative unit between the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Police Department that responds to individuals experiencing mental health crises and are an imminent risk to public safety. Dr. Thomas plays a critical role in reevaluating how police departments and local governments work together to effectively assist individuals who experience mental health crises and present a danger to themselves or others.
Jonathan Wender has over 20 years of experience as a police officer and interdisciplinary social scientist. Jonathan is an expert in face-to-face social interaction, particularly in critical, high risk situations. He develops and implements training programs that integrate social and tactical skills. Jonathan helped develop and launch the Strategic Social Interaction Modules (SSIM) Program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects (DARPA), and served with the program as senior advisor. Jonathan is widely recognized as a subject-matter expert on police-community interactions, police use of force, officer decision-making, police training, and other related topics. Jonathan is the author of Policing and the Poetics of Everyday Life, a multidisciplinary analysis of police-community encounters.
Job Titles:
- Chief of Police / Owner & CEO of Hill & Hill Consulting Group
Lauretta Hill has more than 26 years of law enforcement experience serving in various positions including Police Chief, Deputy Chief of Police, Assistant Chief of Police, Sergeant, and Lieutenant. She was appointed the first Police Chief for Dallas College and the second African-American female chief in the state of Texas. Lauretta has vast experience with department restructuring, policy development, and hiring to align with district policies. Additionally, she commanded security operations for professional sporting events. She has received numerous awards and recognition for her dedication to policing. In addition to her accomplished career in law enforcement, Lauretta is the founder of the GAP Ministry at Bethlehem Baptist Church, which supports children and adolescents who have special needs.
Job Titles:
- Registered Nurse
- Registered Nurse With
Lisa Canale is a Registered Nurse with The Justice Group and is assigned to this project as a Mental Health Advisor. Ms. Canale worked at a Psychiatric Hospital that offered different levels of adult inpatient and outpatient care to the local community which included a detox and substance abuse unit, voluntary mental health unit, and involuntary crisis stabilization/Baker Act unit. Lisa was part of a collaborative and multidisciplinary team of board-certified psychiatrists, therapists, social workers, primary care physicians, and nurses who delivered care around the clock using a cognitive behavioral therapeutic approach. Lisa was also involved in leading the mental health initiative in the local school district using a multi-tiered level of support and evidence-based problem-solving models to detect and respond to student's mental health issues. The team collaborated closely with community mental health partners when a higher level of intervention was necessary. The District Crisis Counseling Response Team was activated when a student crisis occurred.
Job Titles:
- Retired FBI Special Agent / President, VERITAS Key West
Patricia J. Thompson has over 30 years of law enforcement and crisis management experience. She is a career criminal investigator, trainer, and former Ohio State Trooper. Patricia was a sniper on the FBI Miami SWAT Team and a Crisis Management Coordinator in Miami and Los Angeles. She is a decorated recipient of the Director's Award from the U.S. Attorney General's Office, a multiple award winner from the U.S. Attorney's Office and State Attorney's Office for outstanding investigative case work. Patricia is a firearms instructor, certified to teach defensive tactics, arrest tactics, crisis management, police sniper, instructor development and leadership.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Founder
Thomas M. Larned, J.D. is a former Senior Executive with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorney's Office Special Prosecutor. He is the founder of The Justice Group Consulting firm, which provides consulting services and subject matter expertise to medical care facilities and practices that provide services to Medicare and Medicaid patients, as well as private insurers and advantage plans. Thomas joined Larned Legal, PA as counsel to provide preventive strategies and defense to clients who have been audited by the government. Thomas is licensed to practice law in Florida, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and the United States Tax Court.