• Former Milwaukee Police Sergeant appeals his demotion

    Corstan Court was the first supervisor on the scene of the October 2004 Frank Jude Jr. beating by off-duty police officers. Chief Nannette Hegarty demoted Court to officer because he failed to perform the duties of a supervisor. Namely, he […]

  • Recovering From Identity Theft

    Identity theft continues to affect thousands and thousands of consumers. Some simple precautions can help stop identity thieves. If they do steal your identity, I have several tips for resolving your financial woes. Read my article in the Wisconsin Law […]

  • Internet phishing at tax time

    Identity theft by people posing as the Internal Revenue Service is on the rise. Hundreds of thousands of emails purporting to be from the IRS have been sent to targets, asking readers to go to a site that mimics the […]

  • Your Number is Up: Recovering From Identity Theft

    Written by Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, CFF Wisconsin Law Journal Reprinted in St. Louis Daily Record Identity theft affects countless consumers and businesses each year, costing millions and maybe even billions of dollars. In 2004, the Federal Trade Commission received […]

  • IRS audit of Greenpeace confirms non-profit status

    In 2003, Public Interest Watch (a group that calls itself a watchdog of non-profit groups) wrote a letter to the Internal Revenue Service accusing Greenpeace of money laundering and other crimes. The letter accused Greenpeace of laundering $24 million in […]

  • Accounting Problems at GM; Last Year’s Losses Increase

    The board of directors of General Motors Corp is asking for an investigation into newly revealed accounting errors which have delayed the filing of its annual report. The SEC filing of its 10-K will be delayed because of accounting errors […]

  • Texas and Oklahoma wildfires and financial statement fraud

    The Oklahoma CPA Society recently asked me to pen a piece about the potential for financial statement fraud related to the recent wildfires. They printed it in their newsletter, OSCPA Wire. Any natural disaster creates opportunities for fraud and that’s […]

  • Parents and Son Indicted on Federal Money Laundering Charges

    Christopher Vnuk and his parents, Stephen Vnuk and Sharon Vnuk have been indicted by a federal grand jury on money laundering charges. Money from trafficking high-grade marijuana was allegedly laundered through purchases of vehicles. The parents are also alleged to […]

  • Waste and Abuse Related to Hurricane Katrina

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a short report about the millions of dollars wasted in the government’s award of post-Katrina contracts. Included is at least $3 million spent for 4,000 beds that were never used. ($750 per bed!) The […]

  • Attorney General Fles Suit Against H&R Block

    New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has filed suit against H&R Block Inc. for alleged fraudulent marketing of individual retirement accounts (IRAs). It is alleged that over the last four years, H&R Block has opened over 500,000 “Express IRA” accounts […]