White Collar Crime Comes to WSU on April 25

PULLMAN, Wash. — Did you know that fraud and abuse cost U.S. organizations more than $400 billion annually (or $9 per day per employee)? Is it fair to say that men (typically college-educated, white males) commit nearly 75 percent of the offenses? Can you believe that losses caused by managers were four times those caused by employees, and median losses caused by executives were 16 times those of employees?

All true, according to a 1996 report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

And, on April 25, the first “White Collar Crime Symposium” at Washington State University will bring together several regional experts to share their insights into that subject—and more. The 10:45 a.m. symposium in Todd Hall, Room 133 is one of three public events hosted that day by the School of Accounting, Information Systems and Business Law. Preceding the symposium and starting at 9 a.m., also in Room 133, will be a panel discussion on “Career Options with an Accounting Degree.” And, at 2 p.m. in Todd Hall, Room 105, a presentation on the “Politics of Tax Accounting in the United States: Evidence from the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1977” will be made by University of Central Florida professor Robin Roberts, an expert in social responsibility accounting and ethics research.

“We’re very pleased to offer to our students and the community this day full of excellent speakers,” said Bob Greenberg, accounting professor and director of the school.

Assistant professor Charlie Bame-Aldred, events organizer and panels moderator, lined up the guest roster. Members of the accounting career options panel will share their personal stories of success, he said, and how their accounting education helped create multiple opportunities in both traditional accounting careers and other career tracks in finance, information systems, management, and marketing.

Experts at the 9 a.m. career panel include Eboni Anglin, Weyerhaeuser; Traci Boyle, chief financial officer for the Seattle Symphony; Joseph R. Dervaes, CFE, CIA, audit manager for Special Investigations in the Washington State Auditor’s Office; Susan Pittman-Horton (’84 business administration), president, CEO and chair of Wheatland Bank; Carol Ryan (’92 accounting), manager of recruiting at Two Degrees, Seattle; and John Weller (‘76 in business administration), partner in Westburg Media Capital, Spokane.

Guests at the 10:45 a.m. White Collar Crime Symposium are Robin Betts, special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Spokane; Dervaes; Tammy (Yedinak) Johnson (’94, ’95 criminal justice), forensic data analyst with the Financial Integrity Unit of Microsoft Corp.; Karin Rohn, manager of KPMG Forensic in Los Angeles; and Dave Taylor, partner at Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle. Among them, they have experience in bank fraud, mail fraud, environmental fraud, financial investigations, forensic data analysis, the RICO statute (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations), and money laundering, to name a few examples.

Speaking at 2 p.m., Roberts’ findings question a pluralist model of tax accounting law formation and create implications for political and corporate activity and accounting. He is expected to detail how new accounting tax laws are prepared at the state level and how this process is influenced by sizable corporations’ substantial political powers.

Sponsoring the day are the school; the College of Business and Economics; the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service; the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice Program, and the Bookie.

For more details on the day’s events and the guest speakers, the most up-to-date information is available online at www.wcc.wsu.edu/. Bame-Aldred can be reached at bamealdred@cbe.wsu.edu . All events are free, and are open to the public.

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