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: 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… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Internal Controls
Albemarle purports to have violated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
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: Source: Tokar, D. (2023). Albemarle to Pay $218.5 Million to Settle Foreign Bribery Probe. The Wall Street Journal,… Read more »
Fraudster’s Home Depot Scam Snagged!
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: Source:… Read more »
Bank of America fined and ordered to issue refunds
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: Source: Sweet, K. and M. Chapman. (2023). BofA hit with $250 million in fines and customer… Read more »
Interesting and Costly New Canadian Law for IT Companies
According to the New York Times, a new Canadian law will require technology companies to license news content. Facebook’s owner said it would drop news from the platform. Questions: Ives, M. (2023). Canada Forces Google and Facebook to Pay News Outlets for Linking to Articles. The NEw York Times, June 23 (Retrievable online at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/23/business/media/meta-google-canada-news-facebook-instagram.html)
Forever Chemicals Settlement; No Liability Admitted
According to the New York Times, chemical giant, 3M, reached a $10.3 billion settlement deal with U.S. cities and towns regarding claims that the company contaminated drinking water with so-called forever chemicals used in everything from firefighting foam to nonstick coatings. Questions: Source: Friedman, L and V. Giang. (2023) 3M Reaches $10.3 Billion Settlement in… Read more »
The Ups and Downs of the Interest Rate
According to the Washington Post, the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would not raise interest rates this month. Questions: Source: Siegel, R. and A. Bhattarai. (2023). Fed leaves rates unchanged for first time since March 2022. The Washington Post, June 14 (Retrievable online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/14/fed-expected-leave-rates-unchanged-first-time-since-march-2022/)
Do more taxes mean better services?: A cautionary tale
Generally, you equate the need for higher taxes in a city as a way to improve the environment. This blog looks at the city of Portland, Oregon. Questions: Source: Conerly, B. (2021) Death Of A City: The Portland Story? Forbes, Jan. 28 (Retrievable online at https://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2021/01/28/death-of-a-city-the-portland-story/?sh=bff67ac74ad0) Constantz, J. (2023). The cities where high earners face… Read more »
The Godfather Speaks about AI
According to the New York Times, for half a century, Geoffrey Hinton nurtured the technology at the heart of chatbots like ChatGPT. Now he worries it will cause serious harm. Questions: Source: Metz, C. (2023). ‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead. The New York Times, May 1 (Retrievable online at… Read more »
JP Morgan Duped
According to Compliance Week, JPMorgan Chase Bank was fooled into wildly overpaying for a student loan assistance company after the bank dropped its guard on how carefully to vet the startup’s customer database. Questions: Source: Nicodemus, A. (2023). Alleged fraudster cited privacy in duping JPMorgan into $175M merger. Compliance Week, April 5 (Retrievable online at… Read more »