From staff reports

PARKERSBURG — Jodey Altier, president of Perry & Associates CPA’s and managing partner of Perry Forensic, recently announced three new Perry Forensic team members.

Steven A. Bodge is a certified fraud examiner, certified financial crimes investigator and certified insurance fraud investigator.

Bodge is a former Special Investigations Unit major case manager for Nationwide Insurance. He has over 30 years of SIU experience and was most recently responsible for leading the prevention, identification and investigation of complex fraud cases in multiple states.

Bodge has extensive experience in external and internal fraud and theft investigations and was responsible for the development of the financial fraud investigation capability within Nationwide’s SIU. In 2023, he was named the SIU Leader of the Year by the International Association of Special Investigation Units. He is a former law enforcement officer and detective with the Parkersburg Police Department, and a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Fairmont State University.

For over 25 years, he served as an adjunct criminal justice instructor at West Virginia University at Parkersburg and has extensive experience in developing and presenting anti-fraud training at the local, regional and national level, with a focus on commercial and elder fraud.

In addition to fraud investigations, Bodge will be providing free seminars in the Mid-Ohio Valley on elder fraud, which cost Americans over the age of 60 more than $4.8 billion in 2024, according to the FBI.

David A. Tracewell is an investigator and Internal Revenue Service enrolled agent and forensic accountant.

A retired IRS examination supervisory revenue agent, Tracewell received numerous accolades, performance awards and commendations over his 30-year career. As a revenue agent, he conducted federal income tax examinations on some of the largest corporations, including multinationals, in the Large and Mid-size Business Division.

Tracewell developed and taught numerous examination and investigative technique courses throughout his career with the IRS. He planned, coordinated and directed examination teams working on and developing complex tax issues including international transfer pricing models, credit for increasing research activities issues and various financial product derivatives

Jeff Harper will be an investigator and certified public accountant.

Harper has over four decades of experience in financial management and consulting. His career has spanned public accounting, corporate finance and executive leadership. He began his professional career at Knapp and Company, CPAs, where he focused on personal and corporate financial reporting, tax preparation and bank audits. He then joined United Bankshares Inc. as assistant controller, overseeing internal financial reporting for the holding company and its subsidiaries.

He later became co-owner of MFC Corporation, where he managed medical billing operations for a group of 15 physicians across a variety of specialties including radiology, medical oncology, surgery, radiotherapy and pathology. In 1997, Harper took on the role of chief financial officer at Charton Management Inc., a company that operated 23 Burger King franchises and three Qdoba restaurants. During his tenure, he was responsible for internal and external financial reporting, 401(k) plan administration, commercial and health insurance management, real estate acquisitions, debt financing, contract review and human resources oversight. In addition to his professional roles, he also shared his expertise as an adjunct instructor at the former Ohio Valley University, teaching courses in advanced accounting, auditing and cost accounting.