Quincy, CPA.

• Author: LUSKY, MARK
• Position: Betzer, Critchfield & Co. L.L.P., - Brief Article

BETZER IS FORENSIC SCIENTIST FOR FINANCES

AN UNLIKELY COMBINATION OF courtroom drama and classroom number-crunching led Sheri Betzer, a CPA and cofounder of Betzer, Critchfield & Co. L.L.P., into a career as a forensic accounting investigator and expert witness. The firm, with offices in Denver and Boulder, specializes in forensic accounting, a painstaking process of reconstructing old financial transactions from incomplete records to determine what really happened.

"I grew up on episodes of Perry Mason cracking open the case, and somehow got stuck in accounting courses," Betzer said. Along with partner Eric Critchfield, Betzer is one of only a handful of people nationwide who bring investigative, forensic accounting and litigation qualifications to the stand as an expert witness in criminal tax cases.

"Many CPAs with forensic experience testify in civil cases. But in the criminal arena, at best there are only maybe 20 people nationwide. All of the people who have been my mentors are retiring, and I don't see a lot of people coming up behind me," she said.

Betzer spent 15 years developing her skills as a revenue agent for the IRS, auditing returns, reviewing cases headed for the...