Donna Eisenberg is an ABFDE-certified forensic document examiner and handwriting identification expert. She conducts examinations of known and disputed documents, including handwriting, hand printing, and signatures, to assess their authenticity and identify forgeries. Additional document examinations include non-destructive ink analysis, non-destructive indentation analysis, and assessment of counterfeit, altered/manipulated, insertions/deletions, and/or constructed documents.
Donna has testified as an expert witness in multiple facets of forensic document examinations (e.g., forgery, page substitution, handwriting identification, counterfeit, manipulated and altered documents, typewriter identification, page substitutions, and constructed documents) in federal, state, and local courts throughout the United States more than 100 times. Although most of her cases are conducted within the United States, Donna accepts international matters. One hundred percent (100%) of Donna’s findings are peer-reviewed for technical accuracy.
Forensic examination and comparison of handwriting, hand printing, and signatures to determine authenticity or forgery require the aid of specialized laboratory equipment. In the field of forensic document examination, Donna has the capability to conduct a wide variety of specialized microscopic examinations. Donna captures specialized images that can be incorporated into forensic reports and used during testimony in court proceedings.
As a forensic document examiner, Donna conducts non-destructive ink examinations to identify different inks appearing within documents. This method identifies issues revealing security features, determining whether the document has been altered and deciphering portions of obliterated text. With the aid of a Video Spectral Comparator, Donna is able to conduct non-destructive spectral examinations. These examinations enable her to view certain materials, such as inks and papers, beyond the visible light spectrum. This analysis allows her to visualize and capture differences in the optical properties of the materials being examined.
Donna conducts indentation analysis as a forensic document examiner to identify writings found on the surface of documents, which can provide key evidence in determining a variety of issues, including the sequence of writings, common source association of documents, dating of documents, and/or revealing alterations/manipulations that may have occurred within a document. Indented writing can be deciphered through a variety of methods, including specialized lighting techniques, as well as processing the document(s) with the aid of an Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA). An ESDA analysis allows an examiner to non-destructively examine and develop writing indentations (either visible or latent) that appear on the surface of a document. The results of the ESDA examination can then be encapsulated as "ESDA lifts” for further analysis and for use as a demonstrative aid during testimony in court proceedings.
Donna is able to render accurate and honest opinions and present her findings with clear and concise testimony using graphic illustrations. The combination of testimony and graphics has successfully assisted judges and juries to clearly understand the basis of her findings.