The New York Attorney General’s lawsuit against former President Donald Trump is solely focused on penalizing his business and cohorts, but firms like Mazars and Deutsche Bank don’t come off well from a due diligence perspective.
Accounting & Auditing
Hay & Watson loses PCAOB registration over altered audit docs
Canadian public accounting firm Hay & Watson had its registration permanently revoked and must jointly pay a fine of $50,000 along with its owner for violating Public Company Accounting Oversight Board rules and standards and failing to cooperate with an inspection.
VMware to pay $8M to settle SEC charges over misleading financials
Cloud services provider VMware will pay $8 million to settle allegations from the Securities and Exchange Commission it misled investors by hiding its lagging financial performance.
PwC lawsuit prompts reconsideration of after-hour work events
Big Four audit firm PwC is being sued by one of its employees for more than £200,000 (U.S. $234,000) after he injured himself at a post-work drink event in 2019. The incident is not the first where “team-bonding” efforts have proven problematic.
SEC warns auditors of risks in taking on Chinese clients
U.S.-based audit firms seeking new public company clients in China should ensure they have full access to previous audits and work papers before taking the job or risk potential enforcement, the acting chief accountant at the Securities and Exchange Commission warned.
CHS avoids fine in SEC accounting fraud case
Minnesota-based agricultural cooperative CHS settled charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission that the company violated federal securities laws when it filed materially false financial statements with the agency over five years.
KPMG South Africa, two partners fined $275K for using unregistered firm
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board fined KPMG South Africa and two of its partners a total of $275,000 for supervisory failures and violation of accounting rules related to the use of an unregistered accounting firm.
Workforce changes impacting accounting and finance recruitment, retention efforts
More than 80 percent of public companies reported accounting and finance talent retention issues over the past 12 months, according to a Deloitte Center for Controllership webcast poll.
SEC fines ex-PPG controller $100K over accounting improprieties
The Securities and Exchange Commission ordered Mark Kelly, the former principal accounting officer and controller at PPG, to pay $100,000 for accounting improprieties aimed at inflating the painting supply company’s earnings per share.
Taronis Fuels to pay $5.1M in SEC fraud settlement
Industrial gas and water products manufacturer Taronis Fuels agreed to pay $5.1 million to settle fraud charges levied by the Securities and Exchange Commission.


