Douglas Farah

Areas of Expertise - Terror financing, transnational criminal and terrorist networks, Latin America, failed and failing states.

Douglas Farah is currently a consultant and freelance writer on terror finance and national security matters. He is the author of "Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible," (2007) and "Blood From Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror" (2004), the premier book on the subject and is now cited as one of the best books written on al Qaeda’s funding mechanisms. He worked for 20 years as a foreign correspondent for the Washington Post, covering wars, terrorism and criminal activities in Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa.

See Douglas' complete bio here.

Michael Cutler

Areas of Expertise - Issues concerning border security and the enforcement and administration of immigration laws.  The nexus between immigration and national security and strategies to enhance border security and create a more secure immigration system to combat criminals and terrorism.

Michael W. Cutler is a former senior special agent of the INS whose career spanned 30 years. He has testified before more than a dozen Congressional hearings on immigration since the attacks of September 11, 2001 having testified in both houses of Congress and having been called by both political parties. He furnished testimony to the Presidential Commission on the Attacks of September 11. is a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, he is an advisor to 9/11 Families for a Secure America, the American Council for Immigration Reform and a contributor for News With Views. He has appeared on numerous radio an television programs to discuss immigration-related issues especially the nexus between immigration and national security. Among the television programs he has appeared on include Lou Dobbs Tonight, Your World With Neil Cavuto, Glenn Beck and the O'Reilly Factor.

See Michael's complete bio here.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Areas of Expertise - Extremist theology and ideology; Conflict areas: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan; Homegrown terrorism and the radicalization process; Prison radicalization; Legal contours of the global war on terror; Al-Qaeda's organization and strategy; Culture wars in the Muslim world; Anti-terror policing strategies

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross is the vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He consults for a number of clients who need to be at the forefront of understanding terrorism and Islamic extremism, including the Manhattan Institute's Center for Policing Terrorism, the Christian Broadcasting Network, and law enforcement.

See Daveed's complete bio here.

Olivier Guitta

Areas of Expertise - Radical Islam, Middle East, Maghreb, Western Europe. Emphasis on Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, France, UK. Recent presentations: Iran's weapons to strike at the West; The Maghreb: next big front of the war against radical Islam; Lebanon, the most crucial country in the Middle East? Qatar's role in fostering Islamism; Radical Islam rising in Europe: How does Europe face terrorism? The summer 2006 Hezbollah war: just a preview of things to come; The Muslim Brotherhood's infiltration strategy

Olivier Guitta is the founder and editor of The Croissant, a newsletter dedicated to foreign affairs and counterterrorism.

He is a Foreign Affairs and Counterterrorism consultant in Washington D.C. His clients include prestigious think tanks, lobbying firms, financial institutions (such as Prudential Equity Group) and law firms needing assistance on terrorism cases. He also testified in front of the European Union Parliament. His articles on the Middle East, Europe, Radical Islam and terrorism have been published in numerous outlets, including the "Weekly Standard", "The Examiner", "Middle East Quarterly", "Journal of International Security Affairs", "National Post" (Canada), "Valeurs Actuelles" (France), "Asia Times" (Honk Kong), "Jerusalem Post", "New York Press" etc.

He has written in depth studies on Hezbollah for the Brookings Institution. He lectures around the country mostly on the Middle East and terrorism. He has also appeared on Fox News, CBN, ABC radio.

See Olivier's complete bio here.

Victor Comras

Areas of Expertise - US and International Economic Sanctions, Export Controls, Trade Embargoes, Terrorism and Terrorism Financing, OFAC, Patriots Act and Bank Secrecy Act, US-European Relations, and Balkan Issues. Recent Presentations: "A Sanctions Strategy For Dealing with Iran," "How to Use Economic Sanctions Effectively: An Alternative to Military Force," "The Role of the United Nations in Combating Terrorism," "Are We Losing the War Against Terrorism Financing?," and "Using Civil Litigation to Combat Terrorism."

Victor Comras is a noted authority and guest lecturer on international law, US foreign policy, economic sanctions, and the war on terrorism and terrorism financing; He has appeared regularly on television and radio in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. His articles appear in leading American Journals and Newspapers, such as The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle and The Financial Times. Mr. Comras is an experienced diplomat and international attorney He retired from the U.S. Department of State in 2001, and now practices law on regulatory matters related to homeland and national security, international trade and investment; money laundering and counter-terrorism financing controls; foreign political risk assessment; and sanctions and embargoes. He is often called upon to brief members of Congress, and to testify before Congressional Committees on these topics He was appointed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan after the 9/11 terrorist attack to serve for two years as one of five special international monitors charged with reporting to the Security Council on the measures actually being taken by all countries to deal with al Qaeda and the Taliban. These reports made headlines around the world.

See Victor's complete bio here.

Dennis Lormel

Areas of Expertise - The operational methodologies of terrorist financing, money laundering, fraud and financial crimes, as well as the importance of U.S. Bank Secrecy Act reporting requirements, especially suspicious activity reporting.

Dennis Lormel retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in December 2003, following over 30 years of government service, almost 28 years as a Special Agent in the FBI. During his distinguished career, Mr. Lormel amassed extensive major case experience as a street agent, supervisor and senior executive, particularly in complex, document and labor intensive financial related investigative matters. In December 2000, Mr. Lormel was appointed Chief of the FBI’s Financial Crimes Program.

See Dennis' complete bio here.

Jonathan Winer

Areas of Expertise -

Jonathan Winer a highly respected veteran of the counterterrorism community, is a partner in the Washington office of Alston & Bird LLP. Mr. Winer counsels companies in anti-money laundering, data security, and electronic payments, including complying with USA Patriot Act, Bank Secrecy Act and Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations and with state regulatory and licensing requirements, as well as with enforcement actions. His clients include domestic and foreign banks, mutual funds, payment system companies, credit card operators, providers of stored value cards, investment managers, insurance companies, and money service businesses. He previously served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Law Enforcement, where he was one of the architects of U.S. international policy in financial services regulation and enforcement, and served for ten years as Chief Counsel and principal legislative assistant to Senator John F. Kerry, handling and drafting legislation conducting a series of Congressional investigations. His full bio is on the Alston & Bird website. Mr. Winer serves as a Member of the Atlantic Council Working Group on Terrorism and on the Steering Committee of the Transnational Threats Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and the District of Columbia Bar.

See Jonathan's complete bio here.