• Failing to Find Fraud When Auditing Cash

    UPDATE: In March 2011, CFO Jacky Lam of China Media Express and the auditors (Deloitte) resigned. Deloitte said they could no longer rely on the representations of management, and they suggested an investigation was in order. Ping Luo, the analyst […]

  • Learn From the Costly FCPA Mistakes of Others

    A recent Compliance Week article, An Expensive Lesson on FCPA Compliance [subscription required], provides some valuable insights on the direction that our government is taking with enforcement. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations are a huge focus of the feds right […]

  • The Case for Independent Internal Investigations

    The United States Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) continue to make life tough for those in charge of corporate compliance and ethics. Corporate attorneys, both in-house and outside counsel, must ensure that companies are following protocols set for by the USSG. Rightfully, […]

  • Risks and Rewards of Independent Internal Investigations (ACC Docket)

    The Association of Corporate Counsel publishes ACC Docket, a monthly magazine for members. The October 2010 issue features an article on the benefits of independent internal corporate investigations. The most valuable portion of the article discuss how we have arrived […]

  • Internal Investigations and the Use of Auditors and Accountants

    When whistleblowers report potential ethics violations within companies, the first step the company must take is an internal investigation. The best internal investigations are independent and led by outside counsel, for a variety of reasons. But what about the part […]

  • Koss Fraud: We Didn’t Bother to Look at the Endorsements On Our Own Checks, But Grant Thornton Should Have!

    The latest news in the Koss Corporation fraud committed by ex-VP of Finance Sue Sachdeva is a lawsuit filed by the company against Sachdeva and auditors Grant Thornton. It’s unlikely that the company will collect much from Sachdeva, but the […]

  • “Monitoring” That Works

    Guest Post by Ronald Kral, MBA, CPA, CMA Managing Partner of Candela Solutions LLC All organizations use some form and degree of monitoring in reaching strategic, operational, reporting and compliance objectives. Yet, many organizations do not fully leverage the power […]

  • Update on Koss Fraud

    The story of the alleged $31 million fraud at Koss Corp by the company’s former VP of Finance, Sue Sachdeva, hasn’t gotten much air time over the last month or so.  Aside from the usual class action lawsuits when there […]

  • Medifast Changes Auditors: Was Barry Minkow Right When He Criticized Former Auditors?

    UPDATE: On February 17, 2010, Medifast Inc. filed suit in US District Court, Southern District of California, alleging defamation, violation of California Corporations Code, and unfair business practices. On March 29, 2011, Judge Janis Sammartino dismissed all of Medifast’s claims […]

  • Koss Fraud: Unrecorded Revenue?

    How does a company with about $40 million in annual revenue fall victim to a $31 million (or more) fraud by the VP of Finance? Simply, Koss Corp. gave Sue Sachdeva the keys to the castle. She apparently ran the […]