Last Friday, the SEC published the exhibits for Investigation of Failure of the SEC to Uncover Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme (Report No. OIG-509). That was 536 separate exhibits tying to fill in the background on what happened with the SEC and Madoff. The one that caught my eye was exhibit 104 that summarized a June … Read more »
Category: Fraud
SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations Gets a Review
The SEC’s Division of Enforcement was not alone in getting a report from the SEC’s Inspector General: Improvements Needed Within the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. The Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations also got a review from the Inspector General: Review and Analysis of OCIE Examinations of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC. For this … Read more »
Improvements Needed Within the SEC’s Division of Enforcement
The SEC’s Inspector General, H. David Kotz, released his most recent report: Program Improvements Needed Within the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. The report is sort of a follow-up to the Madoff Report. The Office of the Inspector General conducted a review “to identify systemic issues that would prevent Enforcement from accomplishing its mission to enforce … Read more »
KPMG Fraud Survey 2009
KPMG Forensic has released their Fraud Survey 2009. The survey shows that many managers remain concerned about fraud. There are plenty of investigations of fraud that may have helped fuel the financial markets meltdown. Record levels of government spending may usher in record levels of fraud, waste, and abuse. In these difficult economic times, managers … Read more »
150 Years or the Firing Squad
What is the right punishment for financial fraud? Bernie Madoff received the maximum sentence for his charges. 150 years. His lieutenant, DiPascali, was denied bail by the judge at his hearing last week, despite an agreement between his lawyer and the prosecutors. He has a maximum sentence of 120 years. They stole billions. Marc Dreier … Read more »
Ex-Madoff Finance Chief Frank DiPascali Pleads Guilty
Frank DiPascali, the finance chief at Bernard Madoff’s investment advisory business, pleaded guilty to helping his boss carry out a $65 billion Ponzi scheme. DiPascali pleaded guilty to 10 counts, including conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. DiPascali has been cooperating with prosecutors, explaining how he and others helped Madoff defraud investors by using money from … Read more »
DiPascali to Plead Guilty as Madoff’s Accomplice
Frank DiPascali, the finance chief at Bernard Madoff’s investment advisory business, is being charged with 10 crimes related to his boss’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme. Nobody thinks Madoff was acting alone in his scheme. They already arrested Madoff’s auditor, David G. Friehling. U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin posted the charges today in a one- page filing … Read more »
The Rise in Financial Crime in America
The Economist is reporting that there were over 730,000 counts of suspected financial wrongoing recorded in America last year. Financial institutions filed nearly 13% more reports of fraud compared with 2007. The number of mortgage frauds rose by 23% to almost 65,000. This poses the classic compliance conundrum: Is there more fraud occurring, or is … Read more »
Corporate Compliance Scam Comes to North Carolina
A vigilant reader in North Carolina received an “Annual Minutes Requirement Statement” from Corporate Compliance Services. We have seen a similar scam in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Ohio, and Texas. The very official document cites North Carolina General Statute §55-16-01(a) with the requirement that a corporation must keep a … Read more »
Stanford Arrested
We saw it coming. It was like OJ in the Bronco. Last night, Sir R. Allen Stanford stepped out of his girlfriend’s house in Virginia, walked over the the FBI car parked out front and asked if they had an arrest warrant. They did. The grand jury had released its indictment. The surprise was who … Read more »