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MAGAZINE SPRING 2026

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Frank McGorman, MBA 82, Retired Forensic Accountant, FBI

Frank McGorman, MBA 82, used his UC Berkeley Haas degree for two decades of Silicon Valley finance roles before making a surprising mid-career pivot: running the forensic accounting department at the FBI’s San Francisco field office, where his team worked cases including the Theranos investigation.

By

Carol Ghiglieri

Portrait of a person with gray hair in a black blazer and blue tie against a black background.

Although Frank McGorman appreciated his first job at a Big Four accounting firm, he didn’t see a future as a public accountant. But he eventually found his niche: managing the forensic accounting department at the FBI’s San Francisco field office. “In 95% of cases, there’s a financial piece because people are in crime to make money, or they need money to accomplish their objective,” McGorman says. 

The most publicized case his team worked on was the Theranos investigation, but he says the most significant of his career involved national security: a Chinese American citizen who attempted to steal DuPont trade secrets through a Chinese-funded company. He and his colleagues were found guilty of economic espionage.  

McGorman’s career was anything but linear. After two years in public auditing, he enrolled at Haas and used his MBA to secure finance and product marketing roles in Silicon Valley for the next two decades, mostly at Hewlett Packard. 

His career was successful, but eventually, McGorman sought work that offered deeper satisfaction—leading him, surprisingly, back to accounting. 

While joining the FBI meant taking a significant pay cut, he considers it the best job of his career. “I felt like we were really making a difference,” he says. “If people aren’t held accountable, then there aren’t consequences for cheating, and eventually, society would devolve into chaos. I like to think we play a significant role in making sure that doesn’t happen.” 

McGorman retired in 2023 after 13 years at the FBI, but not because he was burned out. “You can’t work forever,” he says.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Frank McGorman?

Frank McGorman, MBA 82, is a retired forensic accountant who managed the forensic accounting department at the FBI’s San Francisco field office. After earning his UC Berkeley Haas MBA, he spent about two decades in Silicon Valley finance and product marketing roles, mostly at Hewlett-Packard, before joining the FBI, where he worked for 13 years until retiring in 2023.

What major cases did Frank McGorman work on at the FBI?

The most publicized case his team worked on was the Theranos investigation. McGorman says the most significant of his career involved national security: a case in which a Chinese American citizen attempted to steal DuPont trade secrets through a Chinese-funded company, and those involved were found guilty of economic espionage. He notes that about 95% of FBI cases have a financial component.

Connections

McGorman and a group of friends from Haas—Chris Smith, Marshall Leisten, Steve Robey, and Joel Damon, all MBA 82, and Alan Haus, MBA 83 get together at least annually.

The Takeaway

While McGorman didn’t enjoy his first job at an accounting firm, he’d do it again: “It opened doors for the rest of my career,” he says.

Posted in:

Alumni News

Topics:

Accounting

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