We are a group of award-winning academics, retired military personnel, former FBI agents, and fintech industry experts offering practical, impactful training on a variety of topics.

We provide a variety of services, including training, to help companies understand and identify sources of financial crime and risk in their operations. We train and arm staff with the knowledge and tools they need to identify and mitigate threats by staying up to date with the latest criminal typologies. It is our goal to ensure that business teams of investigators know how to exploit all available resources, follow the trail, and gather evidence.

At FinCAT, we do this by delivering a unique blend of classroom instruction, collaborative team exercises, and real-world case studies to demonstrate concepts in action and leave a lasting impression that participants will bring back to their jobs. All of this is provided in person or online. Let us assemble the right team of global experts to meet all of your training and investigative needs.

What is FinCAT?

Meet the Team

Our principal, Mo Ruehsen, is an award-winning educator, who has spent over thirty years in the industry in both the private sector and academia, training the next generation of financial crime fighters in both the public and private sectors, as well as FIU staff, ministry officials, and law enforcement from more than a dozen countries.

Mo Ruehsen

Jason Blazakis is a professor and the Executive Director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), where he focuses on threat financing, sanctions, intelligence, and violent extremism related research. Jason worked in the United States government for nearly 20 years. From 2008-2018, he served as the Director of the Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State. Jason has published two books, the Mediterranean Connection with Lynne Rienner Publishers (2024) and Terror Disrupted, published in 2026 by Cambridge University Press. Jason consults regularly with law enforcement, financial intelligence units, and the private sector on a broad range of threat intelligence issues. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and UK Parliament on a range of issues, including the rise of Mexican drug cartels and Russia’s Wagner Group. He holds degrees from the University of Mississippi, Columbia University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Jason Blazakis

Mike Kaiser is a security professional who has served as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation for over 20 years.  While Mike has experience investigating a wide variety of criminal and national security cases, the greater part of his FBI career was in counterterrorism work – particularly pertaining to the Horn of Africa region.  Mike’s operational experience, however, spans the globe and he has conducted casework in the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia, Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia.  Mike has directed complex, multi-agency investigations resulting in both military action against foreign adversaries and successful federal prosecutions in the United States.  Mike has also conducted joint investigations with partner nation law enforcement agencies covering hostage recovery, kidnappings, and counterterrorism cases.  Mike served as the FBI liaison to Somalia in 2018-2019 and as a case advisor to the Kosovo Police in an undercover investigation that dismantled the leadership of the Islamic State in the Balkans in 2021.  While in the FBI, Mike received specialized training in evidence recovery/crime scene processing, Human Source Intelligence, and served 10 years on the FBI-San Diego Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.  Prior to entering the FBI, Mike worked as an intelligence analyst for the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity and served over five years on active duty as a Marine Corps armor officer.  Mike received a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy.

Mike Kaiser

Philip J. Murphy, PhD, is a policy analyst and data scientist with over fifteen years of experience solving complex problems in high-stakes environments. He has led research and evaluation projects for government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations across security, public health, and governance domains. Dr. Murphy is co-author of Understanding Dark Networks: A Strategic Framework for the Use of Social Network Analysis and the forthcoming Essential Guide to Problem Structuring: Overcoming Complexity and Disagreement to Develop Solutions.  He has trained over a thousand professionals who are now working across the intelligence community and international institutions.

Phil Murphy

Karen Nershi in Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity and Co-director of the Cyber Collaborative at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA where she teaches courses on cybercrime and conducting research on the dark web. Her research and teaching focus on ransomware, cross-national regulation of the cryptocurrency sector, and international cooperation around anti-money laundering enforcement. Her publications include peer-reviewed articles in Political Science Research and Methods and the Journal of Cybersecurity. Before joining MIIS, Dr. Nershi was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University's Stanford Internet Observatory. She completed her Ph.D. in political science at the University of Pennsylvania.

Karen Nershi

Wylie Brenner Peremarti is a blockchain and financial crimes investigator, handling high-priority cases spanning terrorism financing, money laundering, dark-net activity, human trafficking, and large-scale fraud rings. With advanced tracing expertise, in-depth knowledge of evolving crypto-based illicit finance typologies, and deep experience with a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, he helps to develop and mentor the next generation of investigators. An adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Wylie teaches graduate-level Blockchain Analytics and Crypto Threat Intelligence and relentlessly pursues original research to expose and dismantle large-scale investment scam networks.

Katharine Petrich, PhD, is an expert on corruption, transnational organized crime, and terrorism financing, with extensive experience analyzing illicit networks operating in complex and conflict-affected environments. Her work has included field research and operational engagements in East Africa and Latin America, where she has engaged with conflict actors, law enforcement and military partners to assess the scope and structure of criminal activity and develop effective counter-threat strategies. Her work bridges intelligence analysis, policy research, and operational practice.

She has previously worked with independent nonprofit and multilateral organizations, as well as U.S. government agencies including the Department of Justice, the State Department, and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

In 2025 she served as a Fellow with the Irregular Warfare Initiative, focusing on illicit conflict economies and criminal actors as force multipliers during war.

Katharine Petrich

Brian is an innovator in pioneering, developing, and applying financial processes to national security challenges to achieve desired outcomes. His expertise was shaped by military tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Germany, supporting Irregular Warfare, Counter Terrorism, and Special Forces missions. With over 28 years of experience, Brian retired as an Army Finance and Comptroller Colonel, serving more than a dozen years in Special Operations, including Army Special Mission Unit (SMU), U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). As NATO's CFO in Kabul, he was responsible for funding, training, equipping, payroll, and sustaining the entire Afghan military and security forces. His specific interest in digital assets, CBDCs, and emerging value-transfer systems led him to develop and employ financial capabilities for offensive and defensive purposes. Brian holds master’s degrees in both Business Administration (University of Maryland) and National Security and Strategic Studies (U.S. Naval War College). He is a Certified Defense Financial Manager (CDFM), a Department of Defense Financial Management Certified Comptroller (Level III), a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS), a certified Illicit Finance Analyst (IFA), and possesses commercial certifications in Cryptocurrency from Chainalysis.