Publications

• Church Fraud.docx
• Policy in Non Profits.docx
• Swanson Rec Ltr.pdf

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Edward Rouse, CPA, has more than 35 years of experience in accounting and tax preparation. His areas of expertise include accounting, taxation, litigation support, and fraud investigations. In addition to his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, Ed also is a Certified Forensic Accountant (CRFAC) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Ed graduated cum laude from Lehigh University BS/BA and received his MBA from George Washington University. He is married with three children and served his country in the United States Marine Corps. Ed is known and respected as an accountant in the Pensacola area who places his client’s needs first and foremost Ed's background in accounting, tax, and finance includes 15 years of experience providing valuation, forensic accounting, and litigation services. His experience ranges from expert witness testimony to consulting for fraud investigations, white-collar crime cases, as well as business related civil cases and divorce. Ed is familiar with court procedures and the legal process. He has also been trained in Collaborative Law divorce resolution. Cases include the following matters: Divorce Case: As a forensic accountant, facilitated and arbitrated a property settlement between the parties so that dissolution of marriage could proceed. Testified in court and assisted in court-imposed mediation. Provided a sound business valuation and inventoried, categorized all assets and allocated them in an equitable manner between the parties. Assisted the respondent and counsel as an expert witness, subject to deposition and testified at trial for the respondent and cross-examined by the plaintiff’s attorney. Criminal Case: In a high-profile case served as an expert witness and forensic accounting consultant for the defense in a check kiting, lapping and embezzlement scheme case involving the County Tax Collectors Office. Civil Litigation-Trust Violation: Expert witness and forensic accounting consultant for the plaintiff in a civil dispute related to the management, expenditures and income of a trust. The plaintiff alleged that the trustee failed to properly manage and protect the assets of the trust. The plaintiff, as a beneficiary of the trust, was seeking among other things to establish that the trustee failed to faithfully perform his fiduciary duty in an impartial manner. The plaintiff was also seeking to have the trustee removed due to malfeasance and to receive a civil monetary settlement. The plaintiff eventually received a $ 1.25 Million settlement from the defendant. Civil Litigation-Damages: In a high-profile case, in Federal Court served as an expert witness and forensic accounting consultant for the plaintiff, a disabled veteran who had been forced out of his home by the landlord due to the fact that he had a Veterans Administration certified service dog. The plaintiff received a $350,000 judgement that was enforced against the rental properties of the landlord after an investigation revealed their location. Divorce-Collaborative-Uncontested: As a forensic accountant, facilitated and arbitrated a property settlement between the parties so that dissolution of marriage could proceed without further court contests or mediation expense. All marital assets were inventoried, categorized and allocated in an equitable manner between the parties. The parties agreed and the division of property was settled without costly litigation. Civil Litigation-Enforcement of a Judgement: In a Federal Court case served as a consultant and forensic accounting investigator for the plaintiff, a veteran who had been defrauded in a misrepresented real estate development. Initially, the plaintiff received a $ 1.45 million judgement in Florida. The defendant resisted the domestication of the judgement in Pennsylvania where he had a substantial interest in real property that was revealed after an investigation. The plaintiff eventually received a $ 1.65 Million settlement from the defendant.