Author: Elizabeth Mullen

Fiat Chrysler SEC

Fiat Chrysler Reaches $9.5m Settlement With SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V., a London-based public company that sells vehicles through its Michigan-based subsidiary, agreed to settle charges that Fiat made misleading disclosures about an internal audit of its emissions control systems, according to a SEC press release. The SEC found that in Read More

Diversity and Inclusion

IIA Issues Guidance for Social Equity and CSR Approaches

The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) is offering a new Global Knowledge Brief to help internal auditors understand how to approach assessments of social equity and corporate social responsibility within their organizations’ strategies and cultures. “At an increasingly rapid rate, social equity and justice movements garner global attention and power,” Read More

Revolution Lighting Fraud

SEC Sheds Light on Fraud at Revolution Lighting Technologies

The Securities and Exchange Commission has accused Evolution Lighting Technologies Inc. of committing accounting fraud and falsely inflating its reported revenues over a four-year period. The SEC announced the charges against the Connecticut-based company in a statement released this week. Four Revolution Lighting executives—CEO Robert LaPenta, former CFO James DePalma, Read More

future trading compliance

CFTC Staff to Consider Compliance Structure Changes in Enforcement Decisions, Fines

New guidance from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to its Division of Enforcement staff outlines factors to consider when evaluating companies’ compliance programs during enforcement investigations. The guidance reflects a principles-based approach that avoids prescribing specific guidelines for compliance program structures. The CFTC aims to encourage companies to Read More

Investments in Data Analytics May Reduce Penalties from Government Investigators

Compliance officers are increasingly seeking technology solutions that improve their teams’ access to financial and operational data, and that provide risk monitoring and mitigation. Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department instructed prosecutors to evaluate data access and analysis at the companies they investigate. Recent settlement trends indicate that regulators Read More

Audit Committee Disclosures Expanding in 2020

Audit committees are disclosing more information about their auditors and audits in shareholder reports this year, according to an annual analysis from the EY Center for Board Matters. Ernst & Young found a dramatic increase in disclosures in most categories over the last eight years, Accounting Today reports. Audit committees Read More

Medicaid Payments

NY Auditors Find $700m in Misplaced Medicaid Spending

New York state auditors uncovered $700 million in “improper” and “questionable” spending by Medicaid during fiscal year 2019, the New York Post reports, including $605 million in overpayments for prescription drugs dispensed by managed-care companies under contract with the NY Department of Health. An additional $12 million was spent on Read More

San Diego audit

SANDAG Auditor Catches Director’s Overspending

Auditors at San Diego’s transportation and planning agency are accusing management of improperly making severance and sick time payments to employees, and failing to report the expenditures to the agency’s board of directors. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Executive Director Hassan Ikhrata supervises an annual budget of nearly Read More

King William Audit Finds $2m in Unpaid Taxes

A performance audit of the King William County, Virginia, Treasurer’s Office casts light on a number of issues that go against accounting standards, the Daily Press reports. The audit highlights 21 problem areas, including $2 million in uncollected real estate taxes from 400 properties over 30 years. The report also Read More

DC Metro Audit

DC Metro Ops Center Putting Riders in Danger, Audit Finds

Management at the Washington, D.C., Rail Operations Control Center (ROCC) fosters a toxic culture that puts customers at risk of physical harm, an audit conducted by the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) says. The 50-page WMSC audit report details more than 20 safety and structural issues in the 24-hour “nerve Read More