Every two years the Association of Certified Fraud Examiner releases a study on fraud in their Report to the Nation. The 2018 report was recently released and I found the following facts to be very interesting. Over $7 billion in total losses. This number continues to increase. A majority of the victims recovered nothing. [...]
Hendrix Montecastro, Helen Pedrino Convicted in $142 Million Ponzi Scheme in Riverside The Associated Press reported the real estate investment scam to be approximately $142 million in fiscal scope. The defendants used seminars, internet ads, and word of mouth to lure people in Riverside County, California and Arizona to invest in a series of shell [...]
Former Detroit Mayor Back in the News In June of 2011 I wrote about former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has been back in the news, for a conviction on a plethora of charges, including racketeering, fraud, and extortion. He was found guilty of 24 of the 30 charges brought against him. Kilpatrick was joined [...]
Municipal Fraud Prevention Part 3 of 3 - Have checks and balances, and routinely ask yourself if loopholes exist - Cheap comes out expensive, hire external auditors, forensic accountants, and certified fraud examiners - Turnover in your finance department isn’t always a bad thing- in some cases, an extensive level of familiarity breeds corruption - [...]
