Albert H. Lyter, III, PhD, Federal Forensic Associates, Inc.

Dr. Albert Lyter provides consultation, examination, training, research and testimony in matters of forensic science, including ink and paper analysis, trace evidence, and questioned document examination. Qualified trace evidence areas include fire debris, explosives, paint, hair, fibers, glass, and wood.

The validity of documentary evidence is of paramount interest in many different types of litigation and with advances in technology, many documents that could not be analyzed five years ago are now possible sources of important information, such as the answers to questions relating to the method and time period of preparation.

Some of the materials Dr. Lyter examines are paper, ink, typewriter, computer printer, carbon paper, xerographic copies, and pencil.

Services

Dr. Lyter is available to consult and testify regarding ink and paper analysis, trace evidence, ink dating, and questioned document examination.

Areas of Expertise

Additional Expertise:

Questioned Document, Glass, Paint & Coatings, Spectroscopy.

Profile

Dr. Lyter began his career in 1975 as a forensic chemist for the U.S. Treasury Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, National Laboratory Center in Rockville, Maryland, where he engaged in consultation, examination, training, research and testimony as service to federal and state law enforcement.

He has been an instructor at the FBI Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Naval Investigative Service, Air Force Office of Special Investigation, United States Secret Service, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and colleges and universities.

Dr. Lyter has lectured at numerous scientific and legal organization meetings including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, California Association of Criminalists, and the International Association of Forensic Scientists.

Court qualified in federal, state and military courts in over 33 states, U.S. Virgin Islands, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia and Singapore, Dr. Lyter has worked on several noteworthy cases, including:

Mormon will of the late Howard R. Hughes
Slander trial of CBS, Sixty Minutes and Dan Rather
Nazi war crimes case of Ivan Demjanjuk
Sam Shephard murder trial — 2000
Martha Stewart case
Facebook case

Areas Served

All States

Affiliations

American Academy of Forensic Sciences - Fellow

Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists

California Association of Criminalists

American Board of Criminalistics

Southwestern Association of Forensic Document Examiners

International Association of Forensic Sciences

American Chemical Society

Society for Applied Spectroscopy

American Society for Testing and Materials

Qualifications

Diplomate of the American Board of Criminalistics

Awards & Honors

Honorary Assistant Attorney General, State of Alabama

Treasury Award for Outstanding Performance

Honorary Member — Southwestern Association of Forensic Document Examiners

Seminars & Training

Microscopy for Pigment & Fiber Identification in Art & Artifacts, Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies, 2010

Surface Analysis Techniques, Physical Electronics, 1992

Canon Facsimile Workshop, American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, 1991

Identification of Photocopiers, New Mexico State Police, 1983

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, Waters Associates, 1978

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, American Chemical Society, 1978

Forensic Microscopy, McCrone Research Institute, 1978

Questioned Documents, United States Secret Service, 1977

X-ray Spectrometry, State University of New York, 1976

Fiber Microscopy, Institute of Paper Chemistry, 1975

Publications

Comparison of Paper Samples — IAI News, 1976

Comparison of Typewriter Ribbon Inks by Thin Layer Chromatography — Journal of Forensic Science, 1977

A Scientific Study of Pencil Lead — Journal of Forensic Science, 1978

Analysis of Water Soluble Paper — Journal of Forensic Science, 1980

Comparison of Typewritten Carbon Impressions — Journal of Forensic Science, 1982

Examination of Ball Pen Ink by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography — Journal of Forensic Science, 1982

Ink Analysis, A Key Element in Questioned Document Examination — Trial, 1983

A High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Study of Seven Common Explosive Materials -— Journal of Forensic Science, 1983

Finding Fraudulent Documents — Family Advocate, 1989

Attempted Determination of Authorship by Ball Pen Line Characteristics — Forensic Science International, 1990

Analysis of Writing Ink — chapter in the book HPLC in Forensic Science, 1982

Contributions to the book Forensic Ink and Paper Examination by Brunelle and Reed, 1982

Examination of Gel Pen Ink by Microspectrometry — Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, December 2005

Examination of Gel Pen Ink by Physical and Thin Layer Chromatographic Examination — Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, December 2005

Ph.D. Dissertation — Surface Characterization of Polymeric Materials by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry: Biomedical Materials and Forensic Applications

Education

Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

M.S. Forensic Science, George Washington University

B.S. Biology, Oklahoma City University

B.S. Chemistry, Oklahoma City University