According to Business Insider, the Commerce Department’s Inspector General concluded that thousands of employees in the federal Patent and Trademark Office scammed taxpayers out of at least $18.3 million, probably a lot more, by falsely claiming nearly 289,000 hours of work they never put in. Questions: 1. What Act restricts federal officials from comparing multiple… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Internal Controls
CostCo Woes: Maybe or Maybe not?
Costco started to transition from American Express to Visa as its exclusive credit card partner in June. As a result, delays and confusion have only gotten worse nearly two months later! Questions: 1. What were some of the biggest problems they faced? 2. Who is the issue of the new Costco Anywhere Visa and what… Read more »
Not a good defense when your conversations are being recorded!
A Manhattan federal jury rejected claims by a former high-flying Wall Street executive that he was in the dark about his dad’s illegal trading of several health care mergers the banker son was privy to. Questions: 1. What is the maximum sentence that Sean Stewart faces? What is the likely sentence? 2. What amount of… Read more »
Big Brother and Hedge Fund Land
Ray Dalio, billionaire founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, claims that one of his firm’s core operating principles is “radical transparency, regarding employee grievances and concerns. However, according to Stevenson and Goldstein in this New York Times article, at least one Bridgewater employee sees the firm as a “cauldron of fear and… Read more »
Trapped by Debt?
Belkin Antonio Hernandez-Vargas was desperate to see his wife and get out of U.S. custody, so he turned to one of the biggest names in the business of helping immigrant detainees secure bail bonds. As a result, the company Libre by Nexus helped Belkin, an El Salvadorian secure an $8,000 bond after he was able… Read more »
Big Deal!
For years, Yahoo was the front door to the web and its services still attract a billion visitors a month. But…times are changing and as a result, Yahoo’s core internet operations and land holdings are being sold to Verizon Communications for $4.8 billion. Questions: 1. Why was the Yahoo model changing and how? 2. What… Read more »
The Infamous Appalachian Trail
James T. Hammes, controller for a family-owned bottling company in Cincinnati, disappeared from his home in Lexington, Kentucky, in February 2009, after he was questioned about accounting irregularities that indicated an $8.7 million embezzlement had taken place. Questions: 1. Over what period had the embezzlement taken place? 2. Although Hammes denied involvement, what was the… Read more »
Auction misconduct, silly mix-up, or something else…………?
The Keno brothers, stars of the PBS series Antique Roadshow, have recently exhibited strange behavior that is oddly out of sync with their stature as antique world luminaries. Leslie and Leigh Keno, twins and celebrity appraisers, say they accidentally bid against each other this spring. Questions: 1. A New Orleans auction house is suing the… Read more »
No List Prices?
Amazon, who made its reputation on offering deals, is now quietly dropping list prices from its items. The new model is that Amazon does not have to entice customers anymore because they will buy anyway. Questions: 1. When did Amazon begin as a company? 2. When did the company begin dropping list prices? 3. Why… Read more »
Phased out in your lifetime????
According to the New York Times, millions of customers at such banks as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, currently log into their bank accounts through their mobile phones using their fingerprints. Introduced in the last few months, this feature enables a huge share of American banking customers to verify their identities with… Read more »