Document Analysis

1. Document Analysis Questioned Documents Signature Analysis

2. Role of Forensic Expert Analysis/Examinations of Questioned Documents Consultations Deposition and Court Testimony Collect handwriting samples (exemplars) Possible Forensic Document Examinations / Applications:

3. Types of Analysis Forged, counterfeited and altered documents Confirming authentic signatures/writings (when people deny them) Wills; Deeds; Legal Contracts; Checks  Medical Records (IN MEDICAL MALPRACTICE CASES) Substituted Pages Identifying printing processes used to create certain documents

4. Types of Analysis Anonymous writings Insurance Records  Court Documents  Typewritten and Computer Printed Documents  Photocopied Documents (establishing chronology of series) Latent impressions on documents 

5. Medical Documents If you suspect that a medical record has been altered, or if the chronology of entries is at issue, the following tests should be conducted: Non-destructive infrared examination of the inks to determine if a different writing instrument was later used to alter the original entry of i.e., blood pressure, or prescribed medications (see Figures 1 and 2 below). Infrared examination of entries suspected under obliterated areas to determine what they were. Latent handwriting examination of file documents in sequence to determine if they were in the alleged arrangement when entries were made. This test can prove details concerning chronology. Latent handwriting examination of file documents to determine if any pages have later been inserted into the file and/or if other pages have been removed. Examinations of folds, creases and staple/punch holes can also speak to the handling and history of the document. Initials, handwriting and hand printing (including numbers) can also be examined to determine whether or not they were made by a particular Nurse or Doctor.

6. Example of changes

7. Venues for Document Analysis Corporate Business Accounting, Contracts, Risk Management, EEO issues (Harassment in the work-place) Human Resources DepartmentsWrongful termination actionsDealing with threats, harassing notes in the workplace Banking and Lending Institutions External and Internal fraud issues; Loan Fraud against Banks Insurance CompaniesNew York Life Insurance Co.; Grange Insurance Group;Tenant Insurance Corp.; Ohio State Life Insurance Co.; Allstate Insurance Companies; Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company;Farmers Insurance Group

8. Venues for Document Analysis Medical Field Medical malpractice and alleged malpractice Real Estate & Title CompaniesEscrow and other title issues TechnologiesIBM; HP; Cisco Systems Certified Public Accountants Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Law and LawyersCivil, criminal, business, probate Investment Organizations Government Agencies

10. Case 1 Case regarding many threatening anonymous letters sent to a school, church, law enforcement personnel and letters sent to many citizens. Blanco was witness for the State."The letters were vicious and lascivious, gory and disturbed, and twisted and disgusting. Some of the letters contained adult pornography and sexually explicit and threatening messages reminiscent of horror films." (from page 4 of the decision)

11. Case 2 Probate matter concerning a forged Trust in an attempt to change the CalPERS Beneficiary Designation- "The signatures which appear on the document are not those of the decedent. The purported trust is therefore invalid and the attempt to substitute Son for Wife as decedent's designated beneficiary of his CalPERS retirement account is a nullity.This factual finding is based primarily on the testimony of James A. Blanco, a qualified questioned document examiner...The opinion of Mr. Blanco, alone, was sufficient to establish that the questioned signatures of decedent were not valid."

12. Mock Case Anonymous Writing In this case, comments were added to a document. Were they written by the same person who wrote the body of the document? The case was atypical because it focused on printed rather than cursive writing. Although there was not a large amount of writing, a conclusive opinion was possible. The Questioned Document is a photocopy of a government form. K1 refers to the known writing, and Q1,2 and 3 are the questioned writing.

13. Materials:K1 - Known printed writingQ1 - Printed note written diagonally in the upper left corner of the QDQ2 - Printed line "Sherriff's Department" written at top center of the QDQ3 - Printed excalmation written diagonally in the upper right corner of the QDQuestion: Were Q1, 2 and 3 written by the same person who wrote the known writing?Procedures and Observations: All of the writing in this case was examined with the unaided eye and under microscope at magnifications from 7x through 25x. Glass alignment plates were used to examine the baseline, top line and spacing of the writing. The following writing characteristics are apparent:

14. 1. Both known and questioned writings use entirely upper case letters with the possible exception of the "I" which may not always be in the form of the capital. Although there is no dot over the I to indicate a lower case letter, the simple "stick" form of the "I" is used and it varies in height. 2. Letter spacing resembles elite or pica type in that it is non-proportional (every letter is given almost the same amount of horizontal space, regardless of its requirements). The result is open space around the "I" of "Valentines" and to a lesser extent the "I" of "Sherriff's" in the Q1 and Q2. This same spacing is seen in the words "visiting", "times" "inmates" and "special" in the known writing. Notice this letter spacing in the exhibit below. The top line is the known writing.

15. 3. The baseline of Q1, Q2 and Q3 is artificially straight and appears to have been formed by holding a straightedge on the paper as a guide. Possibly this was done as a disguise factor. The bottoms of the letters "D", "B", "O", and others are complete, although flattened. Therefore, the straigntness of the baseline is not due to the bottom of the writing being clipped off with scissors in a cut and paste maneuver. The baseline of K1 is basically straight, although lacking in the precision shown in Q1-3. In the illustration (right) a glass plate containing an etched line has been placed on top of the questioned document and photographed to point out the straightness of the baseline and the flattened bottoms of the letters in Q1, 2 and 3.

19. 8. Although the writing is hand printed, there are connections from letter to letter and places where adjacent letters touch. This is a characteristic which could be more closely examined on the original document, but it is clear enough from the copy that this characteristic exists in both the known and questioned writing. Conclusions: After a thorough examination of the questioned document, it is the examiner's opinion that the known writing (K1) and the questioned writing (Q1, Q2, and Q3) were written by the same person. All that remains is for the original to be produced to ascertain that the questioned material was actually written on that document, and not placed there mecanically.Emily J. WillQuestioned Document Examiner