Three executives at the U.S. subsidiary of an Australian defense contractor were charged with accounting fraud for allegedly participating in a three-year scheme to lower cost estimates and prematurely book revenue.

Craig Perciavalle, former Austal USA president; William Adams, former combat ships director; and Joseph Runkel, current director of financial analysis, were charged with violating the antifraud provisions of the Securities Exchange Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Friday. The agency said it will seek disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and officer-and-director bars in its ongoing litigation.

Aaron Nicodemus is the Editor-in-Chief of Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass. Email: aaron.nicodemus@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...