Connecticut Chapter

Patrick C. Bartiromo is an associate partner at AFFINITY CPAs.Pat has an extensive background and professional experience in audit, tax,corporate compliance, finance, financial crimes, fraud investigations, risk management, and management advisory services for the for-profit and not-for-profit industries. Pat is also a certified educator for the AICPA, ACFE and ACAMS professional organizations.

In addition Pat is an adjunct accounting professor for the Jack Welch School of Business at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Some of Pat’s roles and clients included senior audit, accounting and compliance management positions for Citigroup,Inc., General ElectricCapital Corporation and Beth Israel Medical Center.

Pat is also the founding Board member of the Connecticut Chapter of Anti-Money Laundering Specialists and a Patch Umpire for the Fairfield County Chapter Association of Baseball Umpires.

Pat has successfully represented clients before the Internal Revenue Service and State Tax Authority in audits and fraud investigations. Pat serves in a management advisory capacity to clients in the Media, Hospitality, Healthcare and Financial Services industries. Pat is the brother of FOX News Business Correspondent and Wall Street Reporter Maria Bartiromo.

Joann Kokorus is the Vice President, BSA & OFAC Officer at Liberty Bank, which was chartered in 1825, making it the oldest mutual bank in Connecticut. Liberty Bank is headquartered in Middletown, CT. She oversees the Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Team. Joann is responsible for developing, implementing, administering and monitoring all aspects of bank’s BSA/AML/OFAC Compliance Program. Joann develops and maintains the Bank’s BSA/AML/OFAC policies and procedures; remains proactive in developing programs to meet the changing industry and regulatory requirements; prepares, monitors and updates the Bank’s overall Risk Assessments for BSA/AML and OFAC, as well as completes annual updates to the BSA Compliance Manual before its distribution to the Bank. Joann is also responsible for the Bank’s CIP program and requisite controls to identify exceptions. Joann is also responsible for providing reporting to the Board of Directors on the BSA/AML/OFAC Compliance Program, as well as providing annual training to the Board, and to various lines of business, including our retail branch locations.

She has been in the banking industry for over 18 years and in the BSA/AML profession for almost 16 years. Joann has held positions with other financial institutions in fields of Retail Operations, Cash Management and ACH Operations, as well as BSA/AML Compliance.

Joann is CAMS certified and has been an ACAMS member since 2014. She has been a member of the ACAMS CT Chapter Board since 2015. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Western Connecticut State University and an M.B.A. from Albertus Magnus College. Joann has also been a part time adjunct professor of history at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, CT since 2007.

Innessa is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and a seasoned financial industry professional with over 19 years of experience in the compliance sector of the risk management and banking industry. Innessa’s vast experience in the assessment and testing of compliance policies, procedures and processes, in addition to conducting complex criminal investigations to prevent the finance of terrorist groups and illicit transfer of funds through financial markets, makes her a subject matter expert in the field. Prior to Mastercard, Innessa worked at People’s United Bank as Head of SAR/FIU, ICS Risk Advisors (FIS Company) and Plante & Moran PLLC as SME in AML/BSA and other Compliance matters, and also financial institutions such as Bank of America, ABN AMRO, and Comerica Bank.

Innessa holds a Master of Business Administration degree in International Business, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management Development and Organization. In 2014, Innessa joined the ACAMS Connecticut Chapter as a Co-Chairman.

Sean is the AML and Sanctions Compliance Officer for Mastercard Send, Mastercard’s suite of payments services that facilitate the delivery of funds quickly and securely, offering unparalleled reach through card-based payments – both domestically and cross border. As Mastercard Send’s AML advisor for program standards and participant enrollment, Sean’s role frequently puts him at the forefront of developing new global payments products that are faster, better, and smarter than other payments systems. Sean has previously worked in retail banking, AML Operations, and BSA Compliance for regional and local FIs. In 2008, Sean graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies. In 2010, he received his Master’s Degree in Business Management and a certificate in Homeland Security Management from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Sean is CAMS certified and is the Communications Director for the ACAMS Connecticut Chapter.

Mrs. Lauramir Rivera has more than a decade of experience in the financial sector, both in the public and private sectors. She has held significant leadership positions in Compliance, working closely with financial institutions to ensure strict adherence to regulatory frameworks. Following her tenure as a Bank Examiner and as a Compliance Officer for the international banking industry in Puerto Rico, Mrs. Rivera embarked on a new chapter, lending her expertise to a top-tier auditing firm in the United States.

Subsequently, Mrs. Rivera assumed the role of BSA and Compliance Officer for Connex Credit Union, Inc., where she continues demonstrating her unwavering commitment to regulatory adherence and financial integrity. Connex serves a diverse membership, including individuals who live, work, worship, or attend school in New Haven, Hartford, Middlesex, or Fairfield Counties.

In 2018, Mrs. Rivera obtain the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification, further enhancing her credentials in combating financial crimes. Recently, she completed the Nationally Certified Compliance Officer Certification (NCCO).

Mrs. Rivera holds a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Puerto Rico, both of which are accredited by prestigious organizations, the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

In 2024, Marsha returned to Resources Global Professionals (RGP) as a Financial Crimes Consultant after serving as Senior Manager with Capital One. As a Financial Crimes Consultant with RGP, Marsha will continue to provide anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and 3rd Party risk compliance testing, risk advisory and identification expertise to publicly traded companies. She has been aiding in the detection and prevention of financial crimes for 19 years and has previously held roles with PwC, JPMorgan Chase and Customers Bank. The last 10 years of her career have solely focused on assessing the existence and adequacy of controls within financial institutions for the purpose of mitigating financial crimes risks.

Marsha obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from the University of Connecticut. She maintains both the CAMS and CFE designations and is a member in good standing with both ACAMS and ACFE. She joined the ACAMS Connecticut Chapter Board as Co-Secretary in 2021.

Maria Papageorgiou is a Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division (“IRS-CID”) sitting in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  She has served in this capacity since 2002.  In 2006, Special Agent Papageorgiou became the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) coordinator for the Judicial District of Connecticut. She was also responsible for developing cases and conducting outreach efforts with financial institutions in the area. Special Agent Papageorgiou served in this capacity for ten years.

In 2014, Special Agent Papageorgiou was selected as the BSA Boston Field Office Coordinator and was responsible for the BSA program in the six New England states.  For almost eight years, she has been a task force officer for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”).  Currently, she sits on the Transnational Organized Crime Task Force for the FBI.  In 2021, Special Agent Papageorgiou was selected for the Washington D.C. Field Office to work with an IRS-CID specialty group, the Global Illicit Financial Team, which focuses on international third-party money laundering.  Special Agent Papageorgiou has worked high profile cases and was personally selected to work on a Special Counsel investigation out of Washington D.C.

In 2013, Special Agent Papageorgiou received the Chief’s award for IRS-CID which is the agency’s highest award.  On multiple occasions, Special Agent Papageorgiou has received awards from the United States Attorney’s Office in conjunction with numerous law enforcement agencies.  In October 2022, she was the recipient of multiple awards.  In 2018, Special Agent Papageorgiou received the Financial Fraud & Public Corruption Award from the United States Attorney’s Office.  In 2018, Special Agent Papageorgiou received the Investigator of the Year Award from the U.S. Attorney for the Judicial District of Connecticut.  Special Agent Papageorgiou’s work has been featured on HBO’s true crime series Generation Hustle.

Email Address: maria.papageorgiou@ci.irs.gov

Detective Hogan has been in law enforcement for almost 14 years, starting his career in Georgia and continuing it in Connecticut, Matt has been with CT State Police for over 10 years. He holds a BS in Fire Science and obtained his Master of Science in Financial Crime from the University of New Haven. During his career in law enforcement, Detective Hogan has held various positions, most recently as a detective with the Connecticut State Police. As an Eastern District Major Crime Detective, Matt has focused his attention on white collar and financial crimes recognizing significant growth in this sector. Matt has also been assigned to the US Secret Service CT Financial Crimes Task Force and IRS SAR review team. A recipient of numerous commendations to include the State Police Outstanding Service Award and Unit Citation, Detective Hogan’s work has been recognized at every level of law enforcement. Matt is CAMS certified, Certified crypto currency investigator and has cyber investigations experience. In December of 2022, he joined the Board of the ACAMS Connecticut Chapter as a Membership Director.

Sarah Perez is currently a BSA Risk Assessment Analyst at Interactive Brokers LLC. Some of her responsibilities include creating an in-house risk assessment and independent testing program as well as assessing BSA staffing and training.

Prior to her role as a BSA Risk Assessment Analyst, she specialized in BSA Compliance Risk as well as managed staff within the Financial Intelligence Unit for M&T Bank, formerly People’s United Bank. Sarah’s banking experiences expands over 27 years and 19 years under the BSA/AML/OFAC umbrella.

She has been a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) since 2012. Further, she has been an ACAMS Connecticut Chapter member since its inception. She joined the Connecticut Chapter as a Membership Director in December 2019.

Sarah attended Sacred Heart University with a focus in business management. She was also a recipient of the People’s United Bank CEO Leadership Award.

Yesenia Erodici is the Vice President, BSA Officer for Patriot Bank.  She has professional experience of over 24 years in the banking sector and 20 years’ experience in BSA/AML. Yesenia gained her investigative skills by conducting BSA investigations, carrying out transaction surveillance, performing enhanced due diligence, and developing a broad knowledge of compliance issues within the financial service industry. Prior to joining Patriot Bank, she worked at Bankwell, BankMobile and People’s United Bank. In her current role, Yesenia is responsible for all aspects of the creation and implementation of bank wide policies and procedures to enforce the requirements of Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering and OFAC regulations. Yesenia holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). She has been recognized by the Acting United States Attorney and the Connecticut Bank Secrecy Act Review Team for ‘diligent efforts in reporting suspicious banking activity’ while working in conjunction with the US Attorney’s Office, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and other state and federal agencies during her tenure at People’s United Bank. Yesenia has joined the ACAMS Connecticut Chapter as the Programming Events Director.

Stephanie Tirrell, Senior Auditor at Liberty Bank has more than 20 years in the banking industry primarily in the Audit function. Stephanie joined Liberty Bank in 2009 and is responsible for the coordination of the annual BSA Audit which provides an assessment of the Bank’s compliance with the requirements with the BSA and related regulations including the USA PATRIOT Act, Customer Identification Program (CIP), and Regulation GG requirements. Stephanie performs internal audit work which includes procedures that constitute the required regulatory independent test of Liberty Bank’s compliance with the record keeping and reporting requirements of the BSA.

Stephanie graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Eastern Connecticut State University. Stephanie is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and has been a member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) since 2015.