Owner/President

Elyse C. Ruzow founded Ruzow & Associates in 2014 after a distinguished 18 year career at the New York County District Attorney’s Office. Ms. Ruzow spent the majority of her career in the Investigation Division of the DA’s office where she prosecuted a multitude of white collar criminal cases. The cases Ms. Ruzow prosecuted included employee embezzlement cases, political corruption cases, police corruption cases, organized crime cases, labor racketeering cases, money laundering cases and tax fraud cases. Additionally, Ms. Ruzow has extensive experience investigating corporate and construction fraud cases, developing and reviewing compliance programs, and determining “best practices” for both public and private entities.

Since becoming a prosecutor for Robert M. Morgenthau in 1996, Ms. Ruzow has directed and investigated thousands of criminal investigations. She has gained a reputation for being a skilled interviewer and investigator, being incredibly thorough and professional.

Ms. Ruzow provides clients with expert consulting services on matters involving corporate compliance, construction fraud, internal investigations and integrity monitoring services.

Senior Managing Director

Om Gillett joined Ruzow & Associates as Vice President in 2017, following a position as the Chief Compliance Officer of a large electrical contracting company. Ms. Gillett was responsible for all aspects of the Company’s compliance program, including public agency reporting, MWDBE compliance, internal investigations, licensing, and administration of the Company’s Code of Business Conduct & Ethics.

Additionally, Ms. Gillett spent over 12 years as an Assistant District Attorney at the New York County District Attorney’s Office, where between 2006 and 2015 she was in the Special Prosecutions Bureau (now the Financial Frauds Bureau), where she conducted numerous investigations into employee embezzlement, falsification of company books and records, and schemes to defraud.

Ms. Gillett consults with clients on matters such as corporate compliance, internal investigations, and integrity monitoring.

Senior Managing Director

Eric Gallowitz,had a successful 20-year career at the New York City Police Department (NYPD). In 1996 Mr. Gallowitz was promoted to Detective. The pinnacle of his career was being assigned to the elite NYPD Intelligence Division where he conducted counter-terrorism investigations after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Upon retirement from theNYPD Mr. Gallowitz became a licensed Private Investigator in the State of New York. Mr. Gallowitz conducts all types of investigations and has become an expert in construction monitoring and construction fraud having been one of the onsite investigators at One World Trade Center for seven years during the rebuilding of the towers. Areas of construction fraud uncovered during that time and since include theft, certified payroll fraud, Minority and Women Business Fraud, and false business records.

Senior Managing Director

Joseph Ferraro is a Certified Fraud Examiner who joined Ruzow & Associates in October 2019. Joseph has 35 years of criminal investigative experience in conducting and managing investigations pertaining to construction fraud, corruption, organized crime, labor racketeering, money laundering and rules of conduct violations.

Prior to joining Ruzow and Associates, Joseph worked at I4 Strategies for 18 months as Investigative Manager to deter, detect and address fraud, waste and abuse associated with the development of the Hudson Yards project. Additionally, Joseph was employed at the Office of Inspector General for the Port Authority of NY & NJ for 10 years as a Senior Investigator and then progressed into the role of a Project Manager. Joseph also worked with the New York City Department of Investigation, where he started as an Investigator and worked his way up the ranks to First Deputy Inspector General. Joseph holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University and Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from St John’s University. Joseph is a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Managing Director

John Duffner joined Ruzow & Associates in December 2018 as a Senior Auditor Investigator, where he performs audits of payment requisitions and payroll documentation on large scale capital construction projects and conducts investigations for fraud, waste and abuse.

Prior to Ruzow & Associates, from 1995 to 2018, John Duffner worked at a Fortune 500 Insurance Company as a Managing Consultant in the Special Investigation Unit for five years and as an Assistant Vice President in the same unit for 18 years. Mr. Duffner supervised a staff of attorneys and investigators assigned to significant investigations/confidential reviews and data mining, and he worked closely with partners in compliance, internal audit and management in order to implement enhanced controls. Moreover, Mr. Duffner has also worked in the New York State Attorney General’s Office as an Associate Special Auditor Investigator, and has gained vast experience in auditing, control enhancements, anti-fraud programs and internal investigations.

John Duffner is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner.

Senior Compliance Consultant

Ainslee Jacoby Barnum is a certified fraud examiner who joined Ruzow & Associates in March 2018 as a compliance consultant, where she is responsible for conducting audits and investigations in connection with contractor payrolls and subsequent financial and construction documentation, as well as assisting the team with ensuring clients’ compliance with M/WBE and EEO requirements.

From 2015 to 2018, Ainslee worked as a special investigator in the Vendor Integrity Unit at the New York City Department of Investigation, where she led investigations relating to New York City’s $648 million hurricane Sandy rebuild program. Moreover, from 2012 to 2015, Ainslee worked as a Legal Assistant while simultaneously obtaining a Masters in Criminal Justice. Mrs. Jacoby’s experience includes auditing construction documentation, investigating construction fraud, vetting contractors and ensuring government program compliance.

Ainslee received a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 2015 and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from the University of Miami in 2012. Ainslee is certified in OSHA 10-Hour Construction.

Investigator

Jay Singh joined Ruzow & Associates in November 2018 as an Investigator, where he performs compliance monitoring, including prevailing wage audits, site visits, and M/WBE interviews.

Prior to joining Ruzow & Associates, Jay Singh was a Labor Law Compliance Field Inspector at the New York City School Construction Authority and a Sergeant for the New York City Police Department. Mr. Singh is experienced with investigating and enforcing labor law compliance, interviewing construction workers and contractors, auditing certified payrolls and subsequent documentation and providing assistance to state and federal investigations.

Jay Singh is certified in OSHA 30-Hour Construction and NYC DOB 4-Hour Scaffold, and is fluent in Urdu and Hindi.

Investigator

Mike Kelly joined Ruzow & Associates in August 2018 as an Investigator, where he performs compliance monitoring, including prevailing wage interviews, M/WBE site visits and background checks.

Prior to joining Ruzow & Associates, Mike Kelly worked as an Investigator in the Integrity Monitor unit at a global investigations, compliance, monitoring, and security and technology consulting company and as a Detective Investigator 2nd Grade for the New York City Police Department. Mr. Kelly’s experience includes performing construction-monitoring services at the World Trade Center from the demolition phase to completion, gathering field intelligence and observing site activities, conducting site visits, interviewing tradesmen, leading long-term investigations and working closely with government agencies.

Mike Kelly is certified in OSHA 10-Hour Construction and NYC DOB 4-Hour Scaffold.

Investigator

Gus Talleur joined Ruzow & Associates as a Senior Investigator in January 2023. His experience includes construction site visits including prevailing wage interviews, safety observations, and Minority and Women Business compliance checks and integrity monitoring and compliance reporting to government agencies. Prior to joining Ruzow & Associates, Gus Commanded the New York State Police investigation team for 25 years, including the Manhattan District Attorney Labor Racketeering Squad, which specialized in investigating and prosecuting construction fraud, organized crime, money laundering, labor racketeering, political corruption and tax fraud. Gus has an MA in criminal justice.

Compliance Consultant

Tamilee Webb joined Ruzow & Associates in November 2018 as an Associate Compliance Consultant, where she provides assistance with audits for wage compliance and reporting for clients’ M/WBE and EEO requirements.

Prior to working for Ruzow & Associates, Tamilee Webb was an Administrative Specialist at a property management firm, where her duties included administering all Building Link processes, procedures and methods, consulting with upper management to identify training needs, drafting new hire orientation documentation and scheduling.

Tamilee Webb has a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from University of Albany and received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 2013 from Pace University.

Advisor

Leroy Frazer, Jr. served 38 years as a prosecutor in Manhattan and Brooklyn, N.Y. His first 33 years as a prosecutor were under the tutelage of the late and legendary Honorable Robert M. Morgenthau. Mr. Morgenthau appointed Mr. Frazer to several executive positions, specifically: Bureau Chief, Executive Assistant District Attorney for External Affairs and, First Assistant District Attorney.

The highlights of Mr. Frazer’s tenure under Mr. Morgenthau included: the prosecution of fraudulent activity in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center (for his role in recovering millions of dollars in stolen funds, Mr. Frazer received certificates of appreciation from FEMA and the American Red Cross); the prosecution of thefts involved in the United Nations Oil-For-Food Program with the Iraqi government (which led to the collection of over 50M in fines and restitution); appointment as Prosecutor in charge of the DA’s Office’s Northern Manhattan Office, the Community Affairs Bureau, the Legislative Affairs Bureau; and, creation and establishment of the first state. Prosecutor run Immigrant Affairs Bureau (which provided an avenue through which immigrants could report criminal activity and/or participate with criminal prosecutions without fear of personal repercussions).

Following the retirement of Mr. Morgenthau, the incumbent Manhattan (New York County) District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., appointed Mr. Frazer to his Executive Staff, a position in which he served with continued distinction for four years.

After serving on the transition team for the Kings County District Attorney, the Honorable Kenneth P. Thompson, Mr. Frazer was appointed Chief of Staff. Mr. Frazer guided District Attorney Thompson, in selecting the individuals to staff the key executive positions in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office and initiated a number of innovated projects, which included a revamped Legal Training Unit and a newly composed Legal Hiring Board.

Mr. Frazer also assisted in the conception and implementation of ground-breaking reform initiatives, such as the Brooklyn District Attorney’s benchmark Conviction Review Unit; the much-replicated policy of not prosecuting low-level marijuana offenses; and, most significantly, the establishment of Brooklyn’s Youth Justice Court, i.e., New York State’s first court to deal with defendants – ages 16 to 24 – in one courtroom where these young adults could be provided with social services and alternatives to incarceration in conjunction with the adjudication of their cases.

Mr. Frazer was retained as Chief of Staff by the Honorable Eric Gonzalez, first Acting District Attorney and then elected District Attorney. Mr. Frazer remained in that position until his retirement on July 2, 2018.

Mr. Frazer recently founded Leroy Frazer, Jr. Consulting Inc. to advise public and private entities in areas of criminal justice reform and strategic public safety initiatives.

Leroy received his B.A. from Talladega College, in Alabama, and his J.D. from Temple University Law School in Philadelphia. He resides in Pelham Manor, Westchester County, in New York State with his wife of 38 years, Pamela Willis Frazer.

Consultant

Eric Palummieri began his career in the construction industry sweeping job sites and swinging hammers while learning the trade from his father at a very early age. During that time, Mr. Palummieri learned the value in providing quality over quantity. After graduating with honors from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2005 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering, Mr. Palummieri began to design and manage large-scale construction projects, including sports and entertainment venues, higher education and medical campuses, and multi-tenant and luxury residences.

In 2012, Mr. Palummieri became involved with construction integrity monitoring, employing program and project management services in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy for FEMA, NJ Department of Treasury and The City of New York, understanding the importance of working to help communities in need. Since then, Mr. Palummieri has specialized in construction project management, integrity monitoring and oversight for high-profile clients and governmental agencies, including Urbanspace, Nasdaq, WWE, NYC Department of Investigations, Port Authority Office of Inspector General, New York City Housing Authority, and Goldman Properties. Mr. Palummieri is currently working on a number of airport redevelopment and transit projects with respective budgets of $1B+.

Outside of work, Mr. Palummieri enjoys spending time with his loving wife and playing with his sons, cycling, fishing, hiking, and snowboarding.