Financial Fraud Prevention and Detection: Governance and Effective Practices

Acknowledgments

THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS IN THIS book were established as part of a collaborative effort among partners of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and, while those concepts have been restructured and rewritten over the ensuing 15 years, credit still goes to those who helped with the basics. Key among these are Jack Nusbaum, Steve Greiner, and John Oller, who led the trailblazing investigation into the fraudulent financial reporting at Cendant Corp., resulting in a report, described in a Fortune magazine cover story as “remarkable,” that set a new standard for audit committee investigations into financial fraud. Also among these is Joe Baio, whose considerable experience with the SEC allowed him to contribute critical insight on interaction with the Commission and its staff. Benito Romano, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, provided the experience and wisdom now captured in Chapter 12 (“Criminal Investigations”), which still contains much of his original handiwork. Harvey Kelly, of AlixPartners, deployed his vast experience to explain the role of forensic accountants and the process of obtaining an audit report following an audit committee investigation. It was my faithful executive assistant, Diane Tokarz, who patiently typed the whole thing.