Seminar series features lessons from corporate fraud experts

Experts in corporate fraud will share their unique perspectives and experience as part of the Financial Statement Fraud Seminar Series presented by the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. The seminars, which are free and open to the public, will be held virtually beginning March 17 (Wednesday). The series features former HealthSouth CFO turned whistleblower Weston Smith, who alerted federal investigators in 2003 to the massive accounting fraud perpetrated at health care giant. A frequent speaker on ethics and integrity in business, Smith will discuss the culture of the company that supported the fraud, the mechanics of how the unethical accounting was put into place and how detection was avoided. Other speakers include forensic accountants, a fraud investigator, a federal prosecutor and an FBI agent — all of whom will present their unique experience in uncovering fraud. Attendees must register via this link by March 15 (Monday). All sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. EST. The full schedule is as follows:

• March 17: Chris Norris, director of WZ Europe & International Training, is an expert in loss prevention and investigation who has conducted numerous investigations for both private companies and public agencies.
• March 29: Matt Jacques, chief accountant in the Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has led teams conducting complex forensic investigations in high-profile accounting, securities, anti-corruption and other financial matters.
• April 5: Andy Richmond, senior vice president at Cornerstone Research in Chicago, is a forensic accounting expert who has led independent forensic accounting investigations for boards, special committees and management.
• April 12: Sean Berry, prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, has extensive experience investigating and prosecuting complex financial crimes.
• April 19: Weston Smith, founder of ChalkLine Solutions, is a fraud prevention and ethics advocate and the ex-CFO of HealthSouth.
• April 26: L. Christopher Knight, a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will discuss how the FBI handles whistleblower cases and financial fraud.
• May 3: Panel Discussion, “Bringing It All Together,” will feature all six experts.

The Financial Statement Fraud Seminar Series is sponsored by the Center for Accounting Research and Education (CARE) and the Mendoza College of Business. CARE sponsors talks by practitioners as part of its effort to connect the teaching and practice of financial statement analysis and valuation. For further details about the series, including speaking information and schedules, visit the Financial Statement Fraud Seminar Series website or contact Lorie Marsh, Program Manager, at lmarsh1@nd.edu.