Our Team

Jacque James, CFE, MAFM

Jacque James is President and Founder of ARA Fraud and Forensic Services, a leading investigative forensic accounting firm that specializes in fraud risk management, investigations, and litigation support.  Jacque is best known for providing a high level of service while diligently helping her clients to navigate through financial uncertainty.

Jacque is a seasoned professional with over 25+ years of experience in law enforcement, corporate investigations, fraud risk mitigation, and forensic accounting.  Her disciplined approach is ideal for business and the fraud investigative field.  In law enforcement, she developed an understanding of the legal and justice systems.  Jacque has served multi-million dollar national retailers in senior-level management positions in the loss prevention divisions, performing employee theft investigations, conducting fraud and training awareness for management and employees, and implementing operational and inventory programs that contributed significantly to the organization’s overall net profits.  As founder and President of ARA Fraud & Forensic Services, Jacque has helped organizations proactively protect themselves against employee fraud.  In addition, she has successfully handled complex white-collar fraud cases and has performed various types of forensic accounting examinations for clients.

As a sought-after speaker, Jacque has delivered dynamic presentations at national and local association conferences.  She enjoys engaging and educating audiences on various fraud topics.  Jacque was an adjunct professor at Webster University where she taught graduate-level accounting.

In addition to being a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Jacque earned her Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and Masters of Accounting and Financial Management (MAFM) from Keller Graduate School of Management in St. Louis, Missouri.  She received her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Criminal Justice and Business Administration from Saint Leo College in Tampa, Florida.  Jacque is currently studying for and pursuing the credential of Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF).  Jacque holds the following certifications:

• Certified Fraud Examiner (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners)
• Interviews and Interrogations (Wicklander and Zulawski; Reid Institute)
• Advanced Interviews and Interrogations (Wicklander and Zulawski; Reid Institute)
• Linguistics Statement Analysis Technique (LSAT)

Jacque is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), International Association of Interviewers (IAI), and National Association of Certified Valuators & Analysts (NACVA).  She is also a licensed private investigator in the State of Missouri, license # 2001033625.

Cathy Roper, CPA, CFE, ABV, MBA

Cathy Roper is a fraud investigator and forensic accountant for ARA Fraud & Forensic Services. Cathy is passionate about helping business owners protect themselves from fraud. Having grown up in a family business that was itself the victim of fraud perpetrated by a long-time, trusted employee, she understands first-hand how devastating fraud can be to a business, both financially and emotionally. Throughout more than twenty years of working in the financial sector, she has seen more than a few small businesses go bankrupt from fraud, and given the hard work required to establish a successful business, it’s a very expensive lesson for the owners. Cathy’s mission is to help other business owners learn by example and not have to go through this themselves.

Cathy is a former professor of accounting and entrepreneurship, a CPA with business valuation credentials, and an Elijah Watt Sells medalist. (Before the CPA exam was computerized, Elijah Watt Sells medals were awarded to the top three national scores on the CPA exam.) She moved to St. Louis to become the head of finance for the R&D division of Monsanto, and since then, has held other high-level finance positions in which she has had to deal with uncovering and prosecuting fraud. She most recently worked for the CPA firm of Brown Smith Wallace in the Financial Advisory Services department, which encompasses litigation support services, fraud investigations and business valuation services.

As a CPA working in the field of fraud and forensic accounting, Cathy has helped many companies, both large and small, to bolster their defenses against fraud and to put in place a culture to deter fraud. She recently decided to return to her roots in the small business community with the goal of helping fellow business owners protect the businesses they have worked so hard to build.

Cathy is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), AICPA Forensic and Valuation Services, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA).

Dennis Simpson

Dennis Simpson is a retired U. S. Postal Inspector with over 20 years of investigative and supervisory experience in white-collar fraud, money laundering, and violent crimes.  Dennis is highly trained and experienced in employee frauds, embezzlements, bribery, and kickback schemes.   He was an ad-hoc instructor at the Postal Inspection Service National Training Academy in Potomac, MD.  Dennis assisted in the development of the Advanced Robbery and Burglary Investigations and the Workplace Violence Prevention and Investigations courses while at the national academy.

After retirement from federal law enforcement, Dennis was hired as the senior law enforcement advisor to the Joint Special Operations Command in Iraq and then with the U. S. Army 1^st Infantry Division, 4^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Afghanistan.  As the law enforcement advisor, Dennis fully embedded with those military units mentoring and advising senior military commanders in the identification, capture, and prosecution of high-level terrorists, and establishing the rule of law in their area of operations.

Dennis is from St. Louis, Missouri and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Affairs/Criminal Justice from St. Louis University.  Dennis is a member of ASIS; ACFE; Missouri State Investigators Association; International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association; and the West County Chamber of Commerce.  Dennis is a Marine Corps veteran and on the board of the FOCUS Marines Foundation and the Ballwin Detachment of the Marine Corps League.

Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor served as a US Postal Inspector for nearly 21 years, working from offices located in Los Angeles, St. Louis and Indianapolis. As a Postal Inspector, he personally investigated more than 200 cases involving identity theft, complex financial fraud schemes, workplace violence, trafficking of illegal narcotics and other crimes involving use of the mail as part of the scheme. In 2014, he was promoted to a supervisory position in Indianapolis, where he oversaw the work of Postal Inspectors investigating trafficking of illegal narcotics, money laundering and complex fraud schemes. He received several internal and external awards during his career, including three special commendations from US Attorney offices in Missouri and Indiana.

In addition to his investigative experience, Dan spent more than ten years as a Public Information Officer (PIO), requiring him to handle media inquiries and other public relations duties for the US Postal Inspection Service. His success as a local PIO resulted in his designation as a Subject Matter Expert (SME). Working in collaboration with other SMEs, he redesigned the online and classroom PIO training which was then provided to senior executives and journeymen Postal Inspectors performing PIO duties.

Dan brings broad and extensive experience, creative approaches towards challenges and a tenacious resolve to complete his investigations. As both an investigator and manager, he earned a strong reputation for the thoroughness of his work and his report writing ability. He is pleased to be a part of the ARA team.