Areas of Expertise: Fraud; Questioned Documents; Criminal Forensics; Evidence Analysis & Spoliation; Handwriting; Crime Scene Analysis; Criminal Investigations; DNA Forensics; Ink Identification, Dating; Law Enforcement; Forensic Photography; Firearms & Ballistics; Fingerprints; Banking & Trust; Finance & Investments; Forensic Accounting; Investment Banking; Mergers & Acquisitions; Securities & Commodities; Antitrust; Bankruptcy & Insolvency; Legal Malpractice; Forensic Mapping; Product Liability; Laboratory Testing; Analytical & Consulting Labs; Chemistry; Copyright; Intellectual Property; IP License; Trade Dress; Trademarks; IP Infringement; Patents; Trade Secret; Industrial Design; Commercial Real Estate; Security Management; Mortgages & Property Finance; Workers Compensation; Wrongful Termination; Insurance Fraud; Life Insurance; Bad Faith; Insurance Investigations; Pathology & Forensic Medicine; Toxicology; Digital Evidence & e-Discovery; Information Security; Manufacturing Technology.
As a Board Certified Forensic Document Examiner (D-ABFDE) and Ink Chemist and Document Dating Specialist with over 40 years of experience, both Todd Welch and Gerry Laporte are world leaders in high profile extremely complex forensic document and crime scene cases. Their firm has a team of elite forensic scientists and investigatory experts for criminal defense and civil litigation that have worldwide notoriety in the area of independent forensic case review and quality assurance analysis. These forensic disciplines include DNA, Toxicology, Firearms/Toolmarks, Latent Prints, Trace Evidence, Drug Analysis, Questioned Documents, and Polygraph.
Welch and Laporte specifically specialize in handwriting examinations, analysis of ink and paper for dating purposes, impression analysis, type font classification and dating, page substitutions, interlineations, CPS codes, text insertions, printing process examinations, rubber stamp comparisons, dry-seal examinations, typewriter identification and classification, detection of fraudulent and counterfeit documents, and other forensic document analysis.
Riley Welch LaPorte & Associates is the leading global forensic document and crimes scene investigation firm having conducted high profile multi-billion dollar cases in the United Kingdom, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands, Hungary, Israel, Switzerland, and Denmark. We are considered a top-tier firm having conducted work for foreign governments, and are recognized globally by the most prominent law firms in the world for providing the highest level of forensic document examination services to both governmental and private entities. They take cases in all 50 states with concentrated cases in New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Las Vegas, Houston, Dallas, and are respected by top legal firms throughout the United States.
Committed to fostering education and promoting justice, both Todd Welch and Gerry Laporte contribute to the advancement of forensic science through leadership roles, including service on the BOD for the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners and American Society of Questioned Document Examiners; served as the 40th President of the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (Welch); and served as members of the National Institute of Justice Forensic Science Technology Working Group. Mr. Welch and Mr. Laporte have combined, 36 major publications in the field of Forensic Document Examination and have presented around the world and are considered forensic leaders globally.
Both Todd Welch and Gerry Laporte have testified as expert witnesses in numerous notable international ICSID cases (ICSID Case No ARB/06/8, ICSID Case No ARB/14/22, PCA Arbitration Case No 2020-21_The Hague) involving forensic document examination, handwriting analysis, ink dating, and forgery detection. Their testimony has been presented in courts worldwide handling a wide variety of legal matters including defamation, investment law, insurance law, medical malpractice suits, will disputes, estate disputes, contract and patent disputes, trademark disputes, divorce disputes, and trade secrets cases. Their experience includes testifying before government officials, international tribunals, arbitrations, and mediations.
Todd Welch / Gerry Laporte and their forensic and investigatory review team (Riley, Welch, Laporte) have international notoriety and have testified in major courts such as the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and appellate courts in Illinois and Washington D.C., among others. Their involvement in high-stakes litigation across multiple jurisdictions confirms their reputation and widespread professional acceptance worldwide.