Fakes, Forgeries, and the Fight for Truth: Authenticating and Challenging Digital Evidence in the AI Age

Nicholas G. Himonidis, President & CEO | The NGH Group, Inc

Nicholas G. Himonidis is a court-qualified expert witness in computer forensics and digital evidence authentication and has been appointed by courts as a Neutral Forensic expert. He is a licensed attorney and private investigator with more than 30 years of experience in private investigations, computer forensics, and law, and has participated in, conducted, and supervised thousands of investigations, forensic engagements, and e-discovery projects. He has written and lectured extensively on digital evidence, e-discovery, and expert-witness issues, including presentations of “Fakes, Forgeries, and the Fight for Truth” to bar associations, matrimonial law organizations, and the New York State Judicial Institute.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Himonidis earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from St. John’s University School of Law in 1995, graduating in the top 2% of his class, and holds a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, from St. John’s University. He also completed computer forensics coursework at SUNY Farmingdale. He is admitted in New York, with inactive admissions in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. He is a Certified Computer Forensic Specialist, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Cryptocurrency Forensic Investigator, and holds the Chainalysis Reactor Certification. He is also a licensed private investigator in New York and Connecticut.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Himonidis has qualified and testified as an expert in New York State Supreme Court and Family Court, Connecticut State Superior Court, and the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, and has provided expert testimony and reports in numerous other courts. He and The NGH Group have been appointed by the New York Supreme Court as neutral digital forensic examiners and cryptocurrency experts. He was appointed to the New York State Bar Association Task Force on Emerging Digital Finance and Currency in 2022 and formerly co-chaired the Nassau County Bar Association Cyber Law Committee. He received the Eugene R. Fink Memorial Award in 2024 and was named Investigator of the Year in 2018.

• Professional Involvement

Mr. Himonidis has extensive CLE and CPE experience in digital evidence authentication. Recent presentations include programs on authenticating digital evidence in the AI age for the NYSBA Family Law Section and New York State Judicial Institute. He has also presented on deepfakes, digital manipulation, authentication of ESI in matrimonial and custody cases, and forensic expert testimony for AAML, AFCC, and other legal organizations. He was the featured speaker for a 4.0-credit NYSBA course on digital evidence in matrimonial cases. His publications have appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, ABA Family Advocate, and Nassau Lawyer.

• Experience

Mr. Himonidis has served as President and CEO of The NGH Group, Inc. since 2017, overseeing forensic and investigative work and providing legal oversight for operations in the United States and abroad. From 2010 to 2017, he was Vice President and Head of Private Investigations at T&M Protection Resources. He founded and led NGH Associates, Ltd. from 1999 to 2010 and previously served as Vice President and General Counsel of Fenton Investigation & Security. He also practiced law at Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld, LLP and Gebhardt & Smith. His experience includes complex matrimonial matters, financial fraud, civil RICO claims, insurance fraud, and embezzlement.

Simon M. Ragona III, Director of Forensics | The NGH Group, Inc

Simon M. Ragona III is a digital forensics, cybersecurity, and technology professional with more than 18 years of experience in digital evidence authentication, cyber incident response, eDiscovery, and the investigation of AI-generated and AI-manipulated content. He has conducted and managed complex forensic investigations involving computers, mobile devices, cloud data, and other electronically stored information. He regularly advises counsel and has provided oral and written expert testimony in multiple jurisdictions.

• Education & Credentials

Mr. Ragona holds a Bachelor of Science in Economic Crime Investigation with a Computer Security concentration from Hilbert College, earned in 2007. His training included computer forensics, financial investigations, information security, and intelligence research. He has held the Certified Computer Examiner credential since 2008 and previously held EnCase Certified Examiner and AccessData Certified Examiner certifications. He also studied criminal justice at Erie Community College.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mr. Ragona has provided expert testimony before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York and the Connecticut State Superior Court, as well as non-party expert and expert deposition testimony in multiple matters. He has also provided confidential grand jury testimony. He was appointed to U.S. Government compliance Monitor teams for HSBC, Western Union, and MoneyGram, focusing on compliance technology, transaction monitoring, data analytics, and technical controls.

• Professional Involvement

Mr. Ragona has presented and served as a panelist on digital evidence, authentication, cybersecurity, and technology issues in family-law matters. His presentations include programs on authenticating digital evidence in the AI age and authenticating digital media in child custody cases. He is a member of the International Society of Forensic Computer Examiners, High Technology Crime Investigation Association, and Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. He was formerly a member of the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force.

• Experience

As Director of Forensics at The NGH Group, Inc. since February 2023, Mr. Ragona manages digital forensic, cyber incident response, eDiscovery, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity engagements. He advises counsel on digital evidence, including AI-generated and AI-manipulated content and issues of authentication, integrity, and reliability, and provides expert testimony in legal proceedings. He is also owner and president of LGC Innovations LLC. Previously, he held leadership positions at T&M Protection Resources and Calamu Technologies and began his career at Protiviti, Inc. following a computer forensics internship with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

SESSION 1 – Authenticating Digital Evidence: Files, Metadata, and Forensic Artifacts | 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Digital evidence can be fabricated or manipulated in ways that are difficult to detect from appearance alone. This session examines common forms of digital evidence, including emails, texts, screenshots, photographs, audio, and video, and how native files, metadata, EXIF data, and other forensic artifacts can assist in evaluating authenticity. The presenters will also address preservation and collection considerations and what forensic examination can—and cannot—establish.

BREAK | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

SESSION 2 – AI-Generated Evidence, Experts, and Challenging Authenticity | 1:10pm – 2:10pm

AI has made increasingly sophisticated manipulation of digital evidence accessible to virtually anyone. This session examines AI-generated and AI-altered media, current deepfake-detection methods and their limitations, and how attorneys can retain and evaluate digital forensic experts. The presenters will also address authentication, admissibility, Rule 702/Daubert challenges, and strategies for examining or cross-examining digital forensic and deepfake-detection experts.