Elan Parra is an experienced investigations and compliance consulting professional who has helped to provide public and private sector clients expertise conducting investigations, supporting various forms of litigation, aiding in organizational structure and management, and developing and managing compliance programs. During his career, Mr. Parra has successfully led investigations teams, identified obscure issues, and provided innovative solutions to serve clients’ objectives. He is a former prosecutor and licensed attorney with 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors and has investigated cases involving fraud, corruption, and various forms of illegal activity.
Mr. Parra’s experience includes:
- Conducting an internal investigation on behalf of a public entity’s Board of Trustees into allegations of racism and harassment by a vendor.
- Deputy Chief Compliance Officer embedded in a newly created Family Office.
- Participating as a member of the leadership team engaged on the Federal Monitorship of the New York Public Housing Authority (NYCHA), focusing on organizational restructuring of NYCHA operations; evaluation of governance; monitoring procurement the department’s handling of evolving policies, procedures and due diligence practices.
- Leading an inquiry into a building trade union’s improper payout of benefits and mishandling of members contributions.
- Investigating allegations of a contractor’s illegal disposal of environmental contaminants and evaluating Client’s procurement policies and procedures to ensure adequate controls were in place to prevent fraud.
- Providing advisory consultive assistance and training to a multi-national estate business and liaising with law enforcement to develop new security procedures for privately hired security personnel.
- Assisting in the investigation of allegations that the CFO of an international construction supplier misappropriated funds.
- Supervising the forensic investigation into a cyber breach for an investment banking firm impacting the potential closing of an acquisition involving a public traded company.
- Conducting a policy review of security practices for a national real estate management business.
Prior to joining Guidepost, Mr. Parra was a managing director with a consulting firm focused on complex investigations and regulatory compliance. During this time, he directed operational components and logistics for a multi-year tax compliance engagement in Zurich, Switzerland for Credit Suisse Bank; led audits of federal grant-funding recipients for the New York State Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery efforts; and led the construction monitorship of an affordable housing development project in New York City.
Mr. Parra has also held several high-level positions with the City of New York. While at the Mayor’s Office during the Bloomberg Administration, he managed a billion-dollar public works portfolio, overseeing major construction and development projects. As the director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement, he led a multi-agency team that investigated compliance violations throughout the city. He also directed logistics, including deployment of private sector contractors and multi-agency inspection teams on behalf of City Hall in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Mr. Parra began his career as a prosecutor and then defended §1983 civil rights cases on behalf of the New York City Police Department.
