Ponzi Schemer Resurfaces

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Uncategorized, Video Updates.

According to the New York Post, a Colorado conman who escaped from a federal prison in Colorado in 2018 was rearrested in Florida, living in a luxurious $1.5 million mansion.

Questions:

  1. How was he found?
  2. How much had he stolen from his original Ponzi scheme?
  3. How did this man commit fraud even behind bars?

Source:

Reyes, R. (2023) Colorado conman who escaped fed prison caught living lavishly in $1.5M Florida mansion. The New York Post, Aug. 3 (Retrievable online https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/colorado-conman-who-escaped-fed-prison-caught-living-lavishly-in-1-5m-florida-mansion).

Albemarle purports to have violated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)

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According to the Wall Street Journal, well-known chemical manufacturer, Albemarle, reached an agreement in principle with U.S. authorities to pay a $218.5 million fine to resolve an investigation into potential improper payments by third-party sales representatives.

Questions:

  1. Although Albemarle started as a paper mill in 1887, what is its major production now?
  2. Where is Albemarle located?
  3. What will be the sanctions or requirements for this violation besides the fine?
  4. What is the FCPA?

Source:

Tokar, D. (2023). Albemarle to Pay $218.5 Million to Settle Foreign Bribery Probe. The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 3. (Retrievable online at https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/albemarle-to-pay-218-5-million-to-settle-foreign-bribery-probe)

Fraudster’s Home Depot Scam Snagged!

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Fraud Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized, Video Updates.

According to the Associated Press, a Connecticut man was given nearly $300,000 in fraudulent Home Depot credit by walking into stores in several states, loading expensive doors into a lumber cart in one department of the store and then returning them to the customer returns department of the same store without a receipt.

Questions:

  1. What would the man do if the credit was denied?
  2. How many fraudulent store credits did the man receive between June 2021 and February 2022?
  3. Since Home Depot requires a valid driver’s license when returning without a receipt, how did the man get so many credits on non-receipt merchandise with his license?
  4. What internal control or policy would have prevented the extent of this crime?

Source:

Staff. (2023). Man is charged with cheating Home Depot stores out of $300,000 with door-return scam. The Associated Press, August 3 (Retrievable online at https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/man-is-charged-with-cheating-home-depot-stores-out-of-300-000-with-door-return-scam).

PCAOB santions five firms for not preserving independence

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

According to Accounting Today, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has disciplined five auditing firms for violating its rules and standards when communicating with audit committees.

Questions

  1. What was the reason for sanctions for three of the firms?
  2. What was the reason for the remaining two firms?
  3. With respect to the PCAOB order and disciplinary action, what did each firm do?

Source:

Cohn, M. (2023) PCAOB sanctions firms over audit committee communications. Accounting Today, July 28 (Retrievable online at https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/pcaob-sanctions-firms-over-audit-committee-communications?)

IRS Tackles The Latest Scam

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Fraud Accounting, Income Taxes, Uncategorized.

According to Accounting Today, the Internal Revenue Service will be adding extra procedures to deter scammers who have been inundating the agency with bogus claims for the Employee Retention Credit.

Questions:

  1. How many claims for the ERC has the IRS received since the credit was enacted early in the Pandemic?
  2. What is the backlog on handling these claims?
  3. Who qualifies for this tax credit?
  4. What is the main reason for the uptick in fraudulent ERC claims?
  5. What is the period of eligibility?
  6. How long can small businesses file for this credit?

Source:

Cohn, M. (2023) IRS plans new measures to curb Employee Retention Credit fraud. Accounting Today, July 26 (Retrievable online at https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/irs-plans-new-measures-to-curb-employee-retention-credit-fraud?)

Mega Worries for the U.S. Post Office

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Ethical Dilemma, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Intermediate Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Uncategorized.

According to Bloomberg News, about $24.8 billion of US office buildings were in distress at the end of the second quarter, resulting in a higher amount of real estate worries than the leading commercial real estate laggards — hotels and retail properties.

Questions:

  1. What percentage of offices used by the U.S. Post Office were either under water or repossessed by lenders in first quarter 2023?
  2. Why is it likely to get worse in future quarters?
  3. Comparatively, by what percentage was the total of all troubled commercial properties up in the first quarter of 2023?
  4. Propose a solution for maintaining the solvency of the U.S. Postal Service and why it would be important to enact your solution.

Source:

Gittelsohn, J. (2023). Distressed US Offices Jump to $24.8 Billion, More Than Malls. Bloomberg, July 19 (Retrievable online at https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/distressed-us-offices-jump-to-24-8-billion-more-than-malls)

Time to Buy a Used Sports Car!

Posted by & filed under Accounting Information Systems, Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Behavioral and Social Issues Related to Accounting, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, International Accounting, Uncategorized.

According to The Hill, wholesale used car prices dropped by the largest monthly amount since the pandemic began.

Questions:

  1. What percentage drop in used car prices occurred between May to June?
  2. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index (MUVVI) saw a drop of _____ from a year ago.
  3. What was the percentage drop in the MUVVI in April 2020?
  4. Which types of cars saw the greatest drop in wholesale prices as compared to a year ago? What types saw the smallest drops in wholesale prices since June 2022?

Source:

Sforza, L. (2023). Wholesale Used Car Prices Drop by the Largest Amount Since Pandemic Began. The Hill, July 10 (Retrievable online at https://thehill.com/business/4088856-wholesale-used-car-prices-drop-by-largest-amount-since-pandemic-began/)

Bank of America fined and ordered to issue refunds

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According to the Associated Press, Bank of America will reimburse customers more than $100 million and pay $150 million in fines for “double-dipping” on overdraft fees, withholding reward bonuses on credit cards, and opening accounts without customer consent.

Questions:

  1. How did the double-dipping work?
  2. When did Bank of America end this practice?
  3. The bank cut down its overdraft fee from what amount to what amount?
  4. After Bank of America voluntarily reduced overdraft fees and eliminated all non-sufficient fund fees in the first half of last year, how was its overdraft revenue affected?
  5. What government bureau will receive these fines?

Source:

Sweet, K. and M. Chapman. (2023). BofA hit with $250 million in fines and customer refunds for ‘double-dipping’ fees, fake accounts. The Associated Press, July 11 (Retrievable online at https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/bofa-hit-with-250-million-in-fines-and-customer-refunds-for-double-dipping-fees-fake-accounts/ar-AA1dIrGm?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=35b0c9f7e1ff427eb780760f55f63106&ei=13)

Inheritance from Antiquities Smuggling

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According to the Washington Post, U.S. authorities announced that they have secured a $12 million forfeiture agreement from the daughter of accused antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford, a man federal prosecutors say was a key figure in the decades-long ransacking of ancient Cambodian temples.

Questions:

  1. Why didn’t U.S. authorities get the smuggled antiquities from Douglas Latchford, rather than his heir?
  2. How did U.S. authorities find out about the millions Latchford received for the stolen goods?
  3. What signal does this seizure signal, according to the article?
  4. Can Latchford’s daughter record this as a deduction on her taxes? Why or why not?
  5. Will Latchford’s daughter have to pay taxes on this inheritance?

Source:

Whoriskey, P. (2023). Heir of accused antiquities smuggler agrees to forfeit $12 million. The Washington Post, June 22 (Retrievable online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/22/cambodia-antiquities-forfeiture-latchford/)