Valid8 Financial is a company focused on forensic accounting and financial investigations. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Valid8’s Director of Financial Crime and Investigations, David Tyree, to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
David Tyree’s Interest In Financial Investigations
What drew you to financial investigations, and how did your work with the DEA evolve over your 25-year career? Tyree said:
“When I started with the DEA, my job was exactly what the public pictures a federal agent doing: surveillance, undercover work and making arrests. But over time, I realized that dismantling a criminal organization requires more than a stake out – it requires following the money. Financial records don’t lie; they tell an objective, time-stamped story. I began focusing on money laundering and asset forfeiture cases and realized how powerful financial evidence could be in exposing the motives and illicit profits fueling criminal networks. Eventually, I started training others to unlock the narrative within bank records.”
“Later in my career, I found myself connecting two very different groups—law enforcement and financial institutions. They don’t always speak the same language, so I now assist investigators in building cases based on financial evidence that prosecutors and juries can follow with ease. At Valid8, we help investigators rapidly verify and analyze years of complex financial evidence to see the actual money movement so they can quickly act on this intelligence. The goal isn’t just to prosecute more cases. It’s to act faster, prevent more harm, and dismantle the systems that let criminal networks operate in the first place.”
Changing Of Approach To Financial Crime
Was there a particular moment or case that changed the way you approached financial crime and asset forfeiture? Tyree shared:
“There was a case where we indicted an individual on 262 counts of drug money laundering. Going through bank records took over a year. The defendant’s son, deeply ashamed of what his father was involved in, offered to cooperate. Tragically, he died from a drug overdose before the case concluded. At the same time, one of the defendant’s business partners had a heart attack in the U.S. Attorney’s office when shown the financial evidence.”
“That case stuck with me, not just because of the outcome, but because of what it revealed about the cost of delay. We built the case by manually connecting witness statements with unexplained cash deposits. But it took too long. I’ve often thought that if we’d had a platform like Valid8, which could synthesize and validate that data quickly, we might have moved faster and maybe saved a life.”
Inspiration For The Shift In Career
What inspired your move from federal investigations to advising a tech company like Valid8 Financial? Tyree reflected:
“After 25 years with the DEA, I saw firsthand how investigators struggle with financial data. I often say it was like looking for a needle in a needle stack. What drew me to Valid8 was seeing how it transforms weeks or even months of financial analysis into actionable intelligence within just days if not hours. I had experienced too many cases where we discovered crucial financial connections six weeks into an investigation that could have been identified on day two with the right tools.”
“In one particular case, three of us spent four weeks manually analyzing bank records. I later uploaded the same records to Valid8 to test it for myself. In a matter of 24 hours, Valid8 flagged about a million dollars we had missed. This experience showed me the power of technology like Valid8 in expediting and enhancing investigations. The platform rapidly reveals hidden assets, and it tells the story of money movement in a way that holds up in court, which is exactly what law enforcement needs when presenting evidence to supervisors, prosecutors, judges and juries.”
Role At Valid8
At Valid8, what are your primary responsibilities, and how do you bring your investigative background into the company’s work? Tyree noted:
“My role centers on being the bridge between law enforcement culture and financial institutions – helping translate between these worlds that often speak different languages. My experience building cases and presenting financial evidence in court helps me demonstrate to law enforcement agencies how to turn complex financial data into compelling narratives that stand up in court. I serve as an advocate for the use of the Valid8 platform, and my career experience allows me to easily connect with any level of law enforcement, whether it’s local police or federal agents. They all understand the tedious and time-consuming work of trying to make heads or tails of bank statements or a record of peer-to-peer payments from an app. I get to show them that there’s a better way.”
Helping Investigators And Law Enforcement
How is Valid8 helping investigators and law enforcement agencies “follow the money” more effectively today? Tyree pointed out:
“Our AI-powered platform analyzes financial data like bank statements and transaction records to show the complete story of money movement. We highlight patterns without making judgments – that’s where a forensic accountant or an investigator comes in. We help these professionals quickly identify and share actionable intelligence with their teams and partner agencies. This capability is particularly valuable in complex cases like human trafficking and international crime, where money often crosses borders or is laundered through sophisticated schemes. Valid8 allows this analysis to be done far faster and more accurately than manual review, meaning that cases can be well on their way before criminals can move their money beyond reach. For law enforcement agencies with limited financial investigation resources, it’s a game changer.”
Differentiation In Approach
What differentiates Valid8’s approach from other financial analysis or forensic tools on the market? Tyree affirmed:
“Valid8 doesn’t just analyze financial data; it tells the story. In law enforcement, we’re meaning-makers. We need to understand not just what happened, but why it matters. Valid8 takes raw financial records and synthesizes them into visual, objective courtroom-ready narratives. It can identify gaps in documentation and flag irregular patterns. That kind of clarity changes everything.”
“In my experience, processing large amounts of financial data can take months. With Valid8, we’ve been able to identify key money movement and assets in as little as 24 hours. That kind of speed allows investigators to act on leads much earlier in the case, which is crucial when the money is moving faster than ever.”
Biggest Blind Spot In Financial Crime
Financial crime is constantly evolving. What do you see as the biggest blind spot or challenge investigators face today, and how can technology help close that gap? Tyree acknowledged:
“Most law enforcement officers have limited exposure to complex financial transactions. If they don’t fully understand what normal is, how can they spot abnormal transactions, let alone suspicious ones? Even modest cases bombard investigations with thousands of documents. The sheer volume of data can lead overwhelmed investigators to abandon cases or bring charges that don’t encompass the full scope of the crime. Technology like Valid8 addresses this by synthesizing financial data into visual narratives, allowing investigators and other stakeholders to literally see where the money went.”
Cracking A Case With Financial Intelligence
Can you share an example from your experience where financial intelligence made a clear difference in cracking a case? Tyree recalled:
“In a case I was a part of in Wyoming, a local drug trafficker was arrested, and authorities seized about $1,600 in cash from him during a search. He quickly filed to get that money back, which is his legal right. The agency reached out to me with suspicion that the money was tied to drug sales, but they hadn’t done a financial investigation yet.”
“We started digging into his bank records and found patterns that supported a much broader case. What started as a simple cash seizure turned into a massive drug and money laundering case. We were able to show, through financial evidence, that the money didn’t match his known income and was tied to criminal activity.”
“It wasn’t just about proving guilt. This case, for me, was about showing the community that we weren’t going to let people profit from poisoning our communities. That case demonstrated how following the money can completely transform an investigation, turning what looks like a minor offense into a major takedown.”
Biggest Goals
Looking ahead, what are the company’s biggest goals, and what are you personally most excited about shaping next? Tyree concluded:
“Our goal is to equip and empower forensic accountants, investigators, law enforcement professionals, attorneys and government agencies to better fight fraud, money laundering, drug and human trafficking, and other financial crimes. I’m particularly excited about expanding our international collaborations with law enforcement agencies in Europe and elsewhere. Valid8’s ability to instantly convert currencies and visualize money movement across borders addresses a critical need in notoriously complex transnational investigations. And I’m eager to speak with even more law enforcement professionals throughout the country about what we can do to help them achieve a broader, more lasting impact on public safety.”
