OUR MISSION

Stop chasing transactions.
Start targeting threats.

Traditional AML training teaches investigators to process alerts. The Threat Finance Academy teaches them to think like intelligence analysts — building actor-centric cases, mapping criminal networks, and understanding the full lifecycle of illicit finance.

Built on the same proprietary framework powering Hybrid Threat Central™, our curriculum bridges the gap between compliance volume and actionable intelligence.

We are an elite collective of seasoned practitioners and educators drawn from decades of experience in the public and private sectors of financial crime. This unique blend of expertise led us to develop a proprietary methodology focused entirely on practical, pragmatic tradecraft — the hands-on skills needed to successfully investigate and disrupt complex financial threats.

Actor-Centric Intelligence

Map threat networks, identify criminal roles, and build targeting packages that follow money through the full criminal lifecycle — not just the transaction.

HTF Methodology

Five-stage criminal lifecycle training replaces outdated placement/layering/integration models with real-world threat intelligence frameworks drawn from actual operations.

Intelligence-Grade Outputs

Produce SARs, targeting packages, and case narratives that generate real law enforcement value — not just regulatory paperwork that gets filed and forgotten.

Practitioner-Only Faculty

Our academy is powered by a distinguished faculty of law enforcement veterans, seasoned compliance practitioners, and academic experts, all bringing frontline, real-world experience to the fight against financial crime.
Large text.
—  OUR  F A C U L T Y
Decades of experience you can count on.
Every TFA instructor brings real-world financial crime expertise from the public and private sectors — practitioner-only, no exceptions.
Debra Geister
CEO & Founder
Section 2 & TFA

Debra Geister is an industry catalyst who has spent over 25 years engineering the systems that protect the global financial ecosystem. As the primary architect of our curriculum, she has dedicated her career to a single mission: making a measurable difference in the fight against financial crime. From leadership roles in major banking to government innovation and fintech, Debra distills her expertise into our core Hybrid Threat Finance™ Methodology, a sophisticated framework that equips practitioners with the investigative precision and technological edge required to expose and eliminate even the most complex financial threats.

Robert Bacon
Head of Special
Investigations Unit

Robert Bacon is a seasoned investigator and intelligence analyst with over 30 years of experience spanning international special operations, domestic law enforcement, and military service. As a key instructor and course developer for the Threat Finance Academy, Robert leverages his extensive background in counter-terrorist finance (CTF) and anti-money laundering (AML) to train the next generation of financial crime fighters. His dual-cultural background and decades of service across the NYPD, DEA, and international special units provide students with unparalleled insight into the intersection of law enforcement and financial intelligence.

Suzanne Lynch
Education Specialist
Subject Matter Expert

Suzanne Lynch is a cornerstone of the Threat Finance Academy, bringing a rare synthesis of high-level corporate strategy and academic rigor to the field of financial crime. With a career forged in the leadership ranks of global powerhouses like Goldman Sachs, MasterCard, and Comerica, she possesses an insider's understanding of the vulnerabilities within modern payment systems. Beyond her corporate pedigree, Professor Lynch has shaped the next generation of investigators as the former Director of graduate programs at Utica University, where she translated complex risk analysis into actionable intelligence.

— GET STARTED

Ready to build your AFC intelligence capability?