Gregory Dalzell Forensic Document Examiner

Gregory Dalzell, Forensic Document Examiner

Gregory Dalzell is a Forensic Document Examiner with 27 years of professional experience in government agency work, with the last 13 years spent serving in the U.S. Secret Service as a Supervisory Document Analyst. Greg provides investigations, reports, and testimony toward the resolution of matters involving disputed documents or signatures, including wills, checks, contracts, deeds, account ledgers, medical records, and autograph authentication. In addition to handwriting and signature analysis, Greg maintains a high level of expertise in document security features related to counterfeiting, travel and identity documents, and civil documents.

Greg is board-certified by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (ABFDE) and has handled many high-profile cases as a government examiner. He has also been instrumental in developing and testing some of the most advanced anti-counterfeiting security features in use today. He has worked for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the U.S. Secret Service. At each agency, Greg worked in the forensic services laboratory as a Document Analyst. 

At the senior level, Greg was engaged with a high volume of casework involving foreign and domestic identity documents while also holding responsibility for training and monitoring new document examiners. As part of his duties, Greg has performed laboratory examinations of handwritten threats to the President of the United States, written over a thousand forensic reports and internal agency communications, and testified as an expert witness in courts of law across the United States. At the time of his resignation, Greg held a security clearance that allowed access to sensitive information that is not available to the public.

Greg has a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from George Washington University, (Department of Forensic Science), a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and an Associate in Science from Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of several industry groups, including the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (ABFDE) and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Questioned Documents Section.

Professional Experience

Robson Forensic, Inc.

Associate

2022 to Present

Provide technical investigations, analysis, reports, and testimony toward the resolution of litigation related to a wide range of forensic document examinations including signatures and other handwritings, indented, altered, erased, or obliterated information, typewriting, inked impressions, embossed impressions, stitching and bindings, and printing processes. Additional analysis includes assessing security features found in many types of documents such as passports, visas, visa cards, driver licenses, birth-, death-, and marriage certificates.

U.S. Secret Service Forensic Services Division, Washington, DC

Lead/Supervisory Document Analyst

2009 to 2022
  • Performed laboratory examinations in the Questioned Document Branch of the U.S. Secret Service that included forensic handwriting comparisons related to protective intelligence, financial frauds, and violent crimes, document authentication, detection of altered information, instrumental restoration of latent information, thermal printer ribbon imaging, and reconstruction of shredded/torn paper.
  • Assigned and monitored work, assisted in training new examiners, and reviewed casework of forensic document examiners for compliance with technical and administrative standards.
  • Provided technical subject matter expert guidance for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) management regarding the DHS Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card redesign.
  • Rochester Institute of Technology instructor for the “Printing Process Identification for Forensic Document Examiners” course, 2015

U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Forensic Document Laboratory, McLean, VA

Senior Document Analyst

2006 to 2009
  • Performed casework related to foreign and domestic identity documents such as passports, visas, identification cards, driver licenses, and birth-, death-, marriage certificates, U.S. social security cards, U.S. resident alien cards, and other documents.
  • Performed technical and administrative reviews of casework in accordance with accreditation requirements and the laboratory quality assurance program.
  • As a counterfeit deterrence specialist, advised U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Integrated Document Production Branch regarding Permanent Resident Card redesign.
  • Laboratory representative for Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination (SWGDOC) regarding forensic document authentication guidelines.

U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Forensic Science Laboratory, Silver Spring, MD

Lead Document Analyst/Acting Director

2005 to 2006
  • Performed laboratory examinations involving questioned documents and oversaw all questioned documents casework for compliance with quality standards.
  • As Acting Director, served as approving official for payroll, leave, travel and purchases.
  • Drafted policies regarding all laboratory examinations performed regarding questioned documents.

U.S. Secret Service Forensic Services Division, Washington, DC

Document Analyst

2001 to 2005
  • Performed laboratory examinations of threat letters to the U.S. President and others under Secret Service protection.
  • Performed technical and administrative reviews of casework in accordance with accreditation requirements and the laboratory quality assurance program.
  • Examined driver licenses, birth certificates, identification cards, passports and other documents for authenticity or alteration.
  • Provided advice to Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation agency heads regarding driver license and birth certificate security features in connection with the Intelligence Reform and Anti-Terrorism Protection Act of 2004 and the Real ID Act of 2005.
  • Taught U.S. Secret Service Questioned Documents Course Handwriting Examination Module at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

Department of Justice

Forensic Document Examiner in the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service Forensic Document Laboratory, McLean, VA

1995 to 2001
  • Completed thirty-month training program in the field of forensic document examination.
  • Performed laboratory document authentication and alteration examinations of regarding passports and birth certificates from foreign countries and the United States of America.
  • Performed forensic handwriting comparisons involving travel and benefits frauds and other matters.
  • Provided fraudulent travel documents training at Police Academy in a foreign country.
  • Presented to the Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Questioned Document Section.

Paralegal Specialist, Violent Crime Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office

  • Assisted prosecutors with case development and court preparations and performed case intake from law enforcement in the DC Superior Court building

Contractor, Jordan and Keys Law Firm, Washington, DC

File Clerk

1994 to 1995

Created and maintained electronic database of investigative documents

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Washington, DC

Paralegal, Legal Division

1988 to 1994
  • Processed Freedom of Information Act requests—located and redacted documents, wrote response letters
  • Published documents in the Federal Register—edited final rules, proposed rules, notices of proposed rulemaking and notices pursuant to the requirements of the Office of the Federal Register Document Drafting Handbook
  • Provided support for the Bank of Credit and Commerce International investigation

Professional Credentials

  • Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, 2003-Present
  • Certified, U.S. Secret Service Examiner of Questioned Documents, 2002
  • Certified, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service Questioned Documents Examiner, 1998

Education

Master of Arts, Criminal Justice, The George Washington University Department of Forensic Sciences, Washington, DC (1992)

Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Legal Studies, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (1988)

Associate in Science, Business Administration, Pennsylvania State University, McKeesport, PA (1985)

Continuing Education

  • 75th Annual American Academy of Forensic Sciences Scientific Conference, 2023
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting/Forensic Examination of Handwritten Electronic Signatures Workshop, 2022
  • American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Scientific Meeting/Technology and Design of Security Documents for Counterfeiting and Alteration Resistance Workshop, 2021
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting/Questioned Documents Section Chair, 2021
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting, 2019
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Meeting/Charred and Water-soaked Documents Workshop/Handwriting Examination of Signatures Workshop/VSC & ESDA Technology: Explaining to the Layperson Workshop, 2018
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) course, 2017
  • American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Scientific Meeting/Scientific Neutrality in Expert Witness Testimony Workshop, 2015
  • International Association for Property and Evidence, Inc., Property and Evidence Management in Law Enforcement Course, 2014
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Meeting, 2014
  • American Society for Crime Lab Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board Internal Auditor Training Course, ISO 17025, 2013
  • West Virginia University Transitioning to Leadership Course, 2012
  • American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Scientific Meeting/Co-chair for Security Documents Before and After the Crime: REAL ID, Physical and Electronic Security Features, Developments in Commercial Printing Technology, and an Introduction to Counterfeit Link Analysis Workshop, 2009
  • Laboratory Management Awareness Seminar ISO/IEC 17025, Quenpro Inc., 2005
  • Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Meeting/The Forensic Examination of Documents Produced by Office Machine Systems Utilizing Ink Jet Technology Workshop, 2004
  • MeadWestvaco Paper Knowledge® Field Seminar, 2003
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation/FBI Academy Fundamentals of Handwriting Examinations Course, 2001
  • U.S. Secret Service Forensic Services Division Forensic Document Symposium, 2000
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Meeting—Questioned Documents Section Program of Technical Papers and Workshops, 1998
  • Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, History of Handwriting and Handwriting Instruction, 1998
  • Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists Basic Photocopier Workshop for Document Examiners, 1996

Professional Affiliations

  • American Academy of Forensic Sciences Questioned Documents Section, 1998-Present, Co-chair for 2009 Annual Meeting
  • Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists Questioned Documents Section, 2015-Present, Section Chair for 2022 annual meeting
  • Document Security Alliance 2001-2005, 2009-Present

Speaker

  • Loyola University, Maryland guest speaker for graduate school pattern evidence program, 2021
  • George Washington University guest speaker for graduate and undergraduate programs, 2015
  • George Mason University guest speaker for forensic sciences upper-level Bio-Chem undergraduate class, 2012

Publications

Berthold NM, Dalzell GR (1999). Forensic Examination of Constructed Documents: Characteristics of Counterfeit Travel Documents. Int J Forensic Doc Exam. 5: 386-391.

v. 03/17/23

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