‘Sham audit mill’: SEC fines, permanently suspends BF Borgers
By 
Kyle Brasseur2024-05-03T14:27:00
BF Borgers was all but shuttered by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday after the agency accused the firm of massive fraud impacting more than 1,500 SEC filings audited over a 2 1/2-year span.
BF Borgers and its owner, Benjamin Borgers, agreed to be permanently suspended from appearing and practicing before the commission as accountants, effective immediately, as part of a settlement, the SEC announced in a press release. The firm was fined $12 million, while Borgers agreed to pay a $2 million penalty.
“Ben Borgers and his audit firm, BF Borgers, were responsible for one of the largest wholesale failures by gatekeepers in our financial markets,” said Gurbir Grewal, director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, in the release.
Related articles
-
News BriefFive firms fined by PCAOB for alleged communications, reporting failures
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board fined five consultancies, including Ernst & Young, as the agency continues its crackdown on firms violating audit committee communications rules and reporting requirements.
-
PremiumSEC chief accountant calls out audit leadership culture
Staff at the Securities and Exchange Commission have observed instances of audit firms setting poor examples for junior-level employees by failing to properly discipline senior leaders found to have breached ethical standards, according to Chief Accountant Paul Munter.
-
News BriefChemours: DOJ, SEC probing exec accounting misconduct
Chemours disclosed it received requests for information from the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission regarding findings from an internal review into alleged accounting misconduct by several of its top executives.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
ArticleOFAC cracks down on Iran’s oil trade with new sanctions sweep
More than 50 people and 50 ships connected to a top Iranian official were added to the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list on Wednesday, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
-
ArticleKentucky is latest state to file suit against Temu for alleged privacy violations
Kentucky took aim at Chinese company Temu, alleging in a lawsuit that it counterfeited popular Kentucky-designed merchandise and violated customers’ privacy.
-
ArticleU.S. Department of Labor cracks down on child labor violations
The Department of Labor is using poultry processing company Mar-Jac Poultry as an example of what will happen when companies repeatedly employ underage workers in hazardous conditions. Hint: Companies can’t pin the blame on staffing agencies.