Greater Fort Myers ACFE July 2023 Newsletter 
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Hello fellow chapter members!
Please join us for our next webcast training event on August 21 at Noon ET. Our speaker will be Mr. John E. Grimes III, a seasoned law enforcement veteran and CFE who will speak on the topic of “Leading the Interviewee to the Truth.”
As I mentioned in last month’s newsletter, we are currently in the process of scheduling a free member appreciation CPE event this fall at a venue in the Fort Myers area. In addition to food and drink being free for members, we are also coordinating with a speaker, so all attendees will receive CPE for attending the event. Additionally, we intend to raffle off some ACFE merchandise at this event. Stay tuned as we nail down dates, times, and venue.
As always, your chapter leaders are continually striving to deliver value through high quality educational events for our members. We welcome and appreciate any comments or suggestions you may for future events.
If you are interested in being one of our future speakers, please contact either Vice President and Director of Training, Angela D’Anna or me.
Thank you for being a member of the chapter!
Scott A. Stringer CPA, ABV, CFF, CGMA, CFE
President
UPCOMING TRAINING
The Greater Fort Myers Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners invites you to attend the following Chapter virtual event:
Title: Leading the Interviewee to the Truth
Speaker: John E. Grimes III, CFE
Date & Time: August 21, 2023
Leading the Interviewee to the Truth
The objective of an investigative interview is to find the truth. All interviewees, not just the person responsible for the wrongdoing, have many reasons to not be truthful or forthcoming. An interviewer’s job is to persuade the interviewee to provide complete and accurate information, including a truthful acknowledgement of responsibility (a confession) if warranted. An interviewer can use a Fraud Triangle approach to lead the interviewee to the truth. Information gleaned from an interviewee background examination, interviewee responses to preliminary-rapport building questions, as well as responses to attitude assessment questions are beneficial in identifying possible Pressure, Opportunity and Rationalizations for the commission of an offense.
The presentation will discuss approaching deception or lies in a non-confrontational manner. This includes strategically revealing evidence, appealing to common sense, offering a reason for the offense, and relating similar behavior.
This presentation is for the beginner or those that have advanced fraud and compliance skills.
1 CPE credit will be earned for completion of this course.
Tickets
$20.00 Non Chapter Member Ticket
$0.00 Chapter Member Ticket
Our fraud-related training sessions are led by industry experts. Please visit our website for information on upcoming training events and other activities.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
The Greater Fort Myers Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners invites you to attend the following Chapter virtual event:
Leading the Interviewee to the Truth
Speaker: John E. Grimes III, CFE
Coming Soon....
Fall 2023
Free member appreciation CPE event this fall at a venue in the Fort Myers area.
We will have additional information in the upcoming weeks.
GREATER FORT MYERS CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
To join, please go to Join Our Chapter
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
To view or post employment opportunities, please go to Job Board
FRAUD NEWS
June 29, 2023
Florida Contractors and Owner to Pay More than $7.7 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Procurement of Small Business Contracts
HX5 LLC and its owner and Chief Executive Officer, Margarita Howard, located in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and an affiliated joint venture HX5 Sierra LLC, located in Cleveland, Ohio, have agreed to pay the United States $7,759,693.92 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly providing false information to the Small Business Administration relating to HX5’s and HX5 Sierra’s eligibility for federal set-aside contracts intended for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
June 27, 2023
Fraud Pushes Insurers to Balk, Even on Valid Claims
Fla. insurers often don’t trust anyone because fraudsters have many ways to falsify claims. But enforcement is difficult. Less than 2% of fraud actions end in convictions.
June 23, 2023
SEC Charges Former MusclePharm Executives with Accounting and Disclosure Fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed a settled complaint charging Las Vegas-based nutritional supplement company MusclePharm Corp.’s former Executive Vice President of Sales and Operations, Brian H. Casutto, former Vice President of Sales, Matthew J. Zucco, and former contract Chief Financial Officer, Kevin R. Harris, for engaging in improper revenue recognition practices to achieve revenue growth demanded by its former Chief Executive Officer, Ryan C. Drexler.
June 23, 2023
SEC Charges Convicted Fraudster in Real Estate Ponzi Scheme
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Wilson Baston with defrauding numerous investors in a Ponzi scheme, in which he raised millions of dollars through dozens of transactions purportedly to fund real estate investments, but frequently used the money to instead pay off earlier investors and for personal expenses.
FRAUD INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
For fraud information and Resources, go to Fraud Information and Resources