Wisconsin Law Journal

The Fraud Files

Fraud and infidelity: A match made in heaven?

by Tracy L. Coenen on April 18, 2008 10:00 CDT

What on earth do fraud and infidelity have in common? Quite a lot actually.
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Methods of searching for unreported income

by Tracy L. Coenen on March 20, 2008 13:22 CDT

For the employee who is receiving cash in lieu of a real paycheck or who is otherwise concealing wages and earnings, it can be very difficult to prove the case. Cash doesn’t leave much of a trail, and a company that is willingly participating in a fraud like this isn’t likely to offer up proof of the fraud either.
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Searching for unreported income is tough task

by Tracy L. Coenen on March 17, 2008 11:33 CDT

The million dollar question in many litigation disputes, be it family law, a shareholder divorce, or other corporate wrangling, often centers around unreported income. Are there sales that aren’t being recorded on the books? Is the individual receiving cash for work done? Is revenue hidden to shield it from being considered by the court?
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Lawsuit against bank raises third-party issues

by Tracy L. Coenen on February 15, 2008 10:40 CST

A lawsuit against Wachovia Bank by a group of defrauded consumers raises some interesting issues related to third-party fraud liability. The question for consumers, investors, and executives is: What is the threshold for liability in fraud cases? What knowledge or actions had to be present in order for a person or company to be held liable for fraud?
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Protecting the work product of an expert witness

by Tracy L. Coenen on January 17, 2008 13:14 CST

One often overlooked key to successfully working with an expert witness is the protection of privilege and work product. Until the expert is actually disclosed to the other side, it’s in the best interest of the client to make sure that the expert’s work is protected. While no airtight accountant-client privilege exists, it is still possible to protect communications when an accountant (or other expert) is working with an attorney on a litigation matter.
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Crime and punishment: Sentencing in financial fraud cases

by Tracy L. Coenen on December 17, 2007 10:15 CST

While investigating fraud for more than a decade, I have consistently been amazed by the disparity among criminal sentences in financial fraud cases. Of course, there are many facts that go into a sentencing decision, and so it is difficult to make an apples-to-apples comparison of sentences between cases.
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Corporate identity theft — it isn’t just for people anymore

by Tracy L. Coenen on November 26, 2007 10:39 CST

You thought only people experience identity theft. Only individuals become victims of dumpster diving or poor computer security. Someone gets a credit card in your name, and you’ve become a victim. You didn’t even consider that a company could have an “identity” that could be stolen.
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Signs that a company has been ripped off

by Tracy L. Coenen on October 17, 2007 13:51 CDT

How would you know if your company was being looted by a dishonest employee? Most companies miss all of the warning signs that could help stop a fraud early.
Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Tracy L. Coenen Bio

on October 31, 2007 08:13 CST

Tracy L. Coenen is a CPA, a certified fraud examiner, and president of Sequence Inc., a forensic accounting firm with offices in Milwaukee and Chicago. She has gained recognition locally and nationally as an expert in fraud and financial investigations.

Click for more | Comments
...................................................................................................................................

Fraud and infidelity: A match made in heaven?

Methods of searching for unreported income

Searching for unreported income is tough task

Lawsuit against bank raises third-party issues

Protecting the work product of an expert witness

Crime and punishment: Sentencing in financial fraud cases

Corporate identity theft — it isn’t just for people anymore

Signs that a company has been ripped off

Tracy L. Coenen Bio

Whistleblowers and Sarbanes-Oxley

A look at the subprime mortgage problem

Reflections on Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

A correlation between gambling and fraud?

Fraud in government versus private industry

When upper-level executives go bad

Big frauds start small

Iraq reconstruction fraud: Where are your tax dollars going?

Stock option backdating: What’s the big deal?

What every attorney needs to know about fraud

Be prepared: Think like a thief