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Quest Consultants Int'l, Ltd.
1450 E. American Lane, Suite 1400
Schaumburg, IL 60173
847-397-9405
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Leone J. (Lee) Flosi
Executive VP & General Counsel
 Lee Flosi retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a 28-year career as an FBI Agent and Executive Manager. At the time of his retirement, he commanded the Chicago Organized Crime Task Force, which comprised FBI Agents, officers of the Illinois State Police, and Chicago Police Department officers. This elite unit successfully investigated and prosecuted a variety of major organized crime figures in Chicago. Earlier, Lee was a Program Manager at FBI Headquarters where he supervised worldwide FBI narcotics' investigations and for eight years he was the FBI Legal Attaché in Rome where he was responsible for FBI operations and liaison with Law Enforcement and Judicial Officials in southern Europe, the Middle East, and non-French-speaking Africa. Lee is a seasoned investigator who played a major role in breaking organized crime's stranglehold of major Las Vegas casinos by uncovering complex profit-skimming operations that had been underway for decades.
Subsequent to his FBI retirement, Lee served as Security Manager for all of the 1994 World Cup events held in Chicago, where he managed more than 1,000 security personnel.
Lee is fluent in the Italian language and holds a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the DePaul University School of Law. He is a member of the Bar and licensed to practice in Illinois and the U.S. District Courts. As one of Quest's founding partners, Lee's responsibilities include serving as General Counsel and providing executive management oversight.
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Security & Forensic Services
Quest is a consulting firm providing high-quality, high-tech physical and information security services. With unparalleled professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality, Quest provides its services to multinational corporations, law firms, financial institutions, labor unions, government agencies, educational institutions and regional school districts, and private clients.
One of the most unique and integral aspects of Quest is that its team of expert consultants is comprised almost entirely of former FBI Agents, each with more than 20 years experience in federal law enforcement.
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NOVEMBER 2009
Every Contact Leaves A Trace – Locard's Exchange Principle
"On the one hand, the criminal leaves marks at the crime scene of his passage; on the other hand, by inverse action, he takes with him, on his body or on his clothing, evidence of his stay or of his deed. Left or received, these traces are of extremely varied types." – Dr. Edmond Locard (1920)
A proper, modern investigation can track and identify more than ever before including:
- Analyze and date pen ink properties, verifying that handwritten notations occurred contemporaneously with other writing on documents.
- Identify the source of pictures and videos contained on computers and devices through the extraction of data identifiers, or metadata, contained within the electronic files.
- Authenticate original electronic documents and media contained on a CD-ROM to defend against a medical malpractice claim.
- Identify the specific printer, including its serial number, used to produce a questioned document through the analysis of cryptic information and artifacts left on the document itself.
- Mark intellectual property, either electronic or paper-based, in order to identify a thief.
 Dr. Locard (1877–1966) was a pioneer in forensic science and the director of the first crime laboratory in existence, located within the Lyon Police Department in France. Although not specifically referring to an “exchange principle” within the many influential works he contributed to forensic science, Locard made the above observation which has been subsequently simplified to "every contact leaves a trace" and is known as Locard's Exchange Principle, or Locard's Theory.
Throughout the past century, the application of Locard's Theory has had far-reaching ramifications in the development of physical forensic science and trace evidence analysis. Examples of physical trace evidence now include DNA, fingerprints, hairs, fibers, glass, paint chips, soils, and explosives residue. These elements are regularly used in investigations to reconstruct events and activities, frequently as it relates to criminal activities, and describe the people and objects involved in them.
Most recently, it has been realized that Locard's Theory can be applied equally as well to electronic trace evidence. That is, as two technology devices connect and exchange information, each leaves a trace on the other. Examples of electronic trace evidence include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, email addresses, deleted files, log files, system artifacts (e.g., file system, operating system, and application), and metadata. These data shadows can be used to similarly determine what was done using a computer, mobile phone, GPS, printer, flash drive, digital camera, or other electronic device.
With both physical and electronic trace evidence, the most crucial step is its preservation. Without using proper forensic collection techniques, performed by appropriate, unbiased personnel, any subsequent analysis will be fruitless. And, with current e-discovery legislation, the spoliation of any potential electronic information can result in sanctions and substantial fines.
Consider the following additional examples of the exchange of visible and invisible trace evidence, and the results of proper collection and analysis:
- Discovery of the identity of the person who stole paper documents through the use of fingerprints lifted from other documents left behind during the theft.
- The identification of a sender of harassing emails through the analysis of workstation and server computer log files.
- The confirmation that an individual used a particular computer keyboard through the use of DNA analysis of human tissue found between the keys of the keyboard.
- The recovery of deleted computer files that expose the inappropriate use of technology assets, and protect the organization from a potential wrongful termination lawsuit.
With an understanding of Locard's Theory and examples of its potential application, you can further anticipate when to use expert forensic examiners to further safeguard your employees, assets and reputation.
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