The U.S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation issued the text of the following speech and remarks by Grant D. Ashley, Executive Assistant Director, Law Enforcement Services, Federal Bureau of Investigation, during the Institute of Internal Auditors Fraud Seminar:

It is great to be here with you today. As a kid, I never imagined I could one day be excited about attending an Internal Audit Conference, but here I am. I am truly happy to be here, and happy to be back in Chicago.

Early in my career as an FBI agent, I was assigned to the Chicago Field Office, and worked on the first violent crimes task force in the country. It was a dream come true for me to work side-by-side with other agents and state and local police, investigating kidnappings, extortion, murder-for-hire ... you name it.

To be honest - though I'm not sure it's safe to say this in this crowd - I never actually planned to become an accountant. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be an FBI agent. When I was about 17, I called an FBI recruiter to ask if I could come to work for the Bureau. He asked me how old I was, laughed, and then told me to go to college and get an accounting degree so I would have a better chance of becoming a special agent.

That's exactly what I did - a little reluctantly, I'll admit. I wanted to be out catching bad guys, not sitting behind a desk. I wanted to be protecting and serving the American public, not crunching numbers. I wanted to be the stuff of heroes, and I didn't quite see what accounting had to do with it.

But I sat for the CPA exam and went to work as an accountant. And by the time I got the call from the FBI, and traded in my calculator for my badge and gun, I saw exactly what accounting had to do with it. I understood that accountants are every bit as critical to protecting and serving the public as law enforcement officers. Though our roles are different, we are both concerned with protecting the health of our economy and the safety of our citizens.

Today, I want to give you a "30,000-foot overview" of the financial crime and public corruption threats we are facing, and tell you what the FBI is doing to protect the American public and how you are integral to our success.