USIS CEO Cherkasky named as chair of New York commission on public integrity

FALLS CHURCH, Va., May 13, 2009 – New York Gov. David A. Paterson announced today that Michael G. Cherkasky, CEO of US Investigations Services, Inc., (USIS) and its subsidiaries, has been appointed Chairman of the New York State Commission on Public Integrity. Cherkasky will take on the leadership role in addition to his service as the CEO of USIS, the leading supplier of background investigations to the federal government, a market leading position the company has held for more than 12 years; one of the largest employment screening services companies in the U.S.; and a leading provider of data solutions to the insurance industry.

Gov. Paterson cited Cherkasky’s “outstanding record as an investigator, prosecutor, and reformer” in making the appointment. Cherkasky will not receive a salary as chair of the public commission.

In a media release, Gov. Paterson said “I am confident that my appointment of Chairman Cherkasky combined with new commission members will give the commission the fresh start it needs and will help to restore public confidence in both the commission and state government. Under Chairman Cherkasky’s leadership, the commission will be transformed into an effective enforcer of our ethics and lobbying laws.”

“It is with great honor and gratitude that I accept the nomination,” said Cherkasky during a press conference. “This commission epitomizes the fact that what we need in government employees… is not just that they obey criminal law. We need more than that. We demand that our public servants be of the highest caliber of ethics, integrity, and transparency and that is what this commission is all about.”

For the past 25 years, Cherkasky has supported the law enforcement community in numerous oversight and policy development roles. He dedicated 16 years of service to the criminal justice system as a trial attorney, administrator, and investigator. Early in his career, he served as a law clerk in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. He then became an Assistant District Attorney in New York County. While in the District Attorney’s office, Cherkasky served as a trial attorney, trial bureau chief, Chief of the Rackets Bureau, and Chief of the Investigations Division. In this capacity, he led the division’s investigations on fraud, corruption, money laundering, organized crime figures such as John Gotti, and the state investigation of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

In 1994, after his 16-year career serving the public, Cherkasky joined Kroll, Inc., and founded and led Kroll Monitoring Services. While in this leadership role, he was appointed by various U.S. Federal Court’s to oversee Federal Consent decrees with organizations such as the Long Island Carting industry and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Currently, Cherkasky is the independent monitor for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). In this capacity, Cherkasky uses his extensive career as an attorney and experience with the law enforcement community to lead an official oversight board for policies and procedures associated with LAPD’s organizational management, training, and investigative practices.

When named CEO of Kroll, Inc., Cherkasky led an organization focused on supporting the law enforcement community both domestically and abroad. Under his leadership, Kroll provided domestic training services for government and contractor personnel preparing to deploy overseas to support the global war on terrorism. In 2004, Kroll, Inc. was acquired by Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a global professional services firm, and Cherkasky was appointed president and CEO. He held this position until 2008, and joined USIS in July 2008 in the same capacity.

Media Contact:
Michael John, 703.637.1694 ormichael.john@usis.com

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