ACCT 510 Forensic Accounting Spring 2015 T/R 10:50 12:05 PM, Tate 304

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1 ACCT 510 Forensic Accounting Spring 2015 T/R 10:50 12:05 PM, Tate 304 Instructor: Jason Rasso, Ph.D., CFE Office: Beatty Office Phone: Office Hours: T/R 8:30 9:15 AM, 12:30 1:30 PM, and 3:00 4:00 PM Other times by appointment (or whenever my door is open) Course Description: This course will provide an introduction into forensic accounting. We will cover the initial steps of a forensic investigation with a focus on interviewing techniques and evidence collection and processing. Course Materials: 1. Crumbley, Heitger, and Smith. Forensic and Investigative Accounting, (6 th Edition). ISBN Crumbley, LaGraize, and Peters. Case Studies in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Auditing. ISBN Additional materials posted on OAKS. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the basics of forensic accounting and how forensic accounting differs from traditional auditing. 2. Understand the basics of fraud and the types of schemes that can be committed against organizations. 3. Understand the basics of interviewing. 4. Understand the basics of evidence collection and management. 5. Understand the basics of reporting fraud. COMMUNICATION is the best way to communicate with me. I will only be available by telephone during my office hours. Basis for Grade and Point Allocation: MIDTERM 100 points (20%) FINAL EXAM 100 points (20%) WRITTEN CASES 100 points (20%) INTERVIEWING PRACTICUM 100 points (20%) SIMULATED FORENSIC CASE 100 points (20%) Total Points Available 500 points (100%) You earn your grade; I do not give it to you! As the class accountant, I will report your results. I will provide updates on your progress via OAKS. You are responsible for keeping up with your total points and knowing your current standing.

2 Grade Discrepancies - You must make an appointment to review your exam within 7 days after the exam grades have been posted if you wish to dispute a grade. No further discussions of grades will occur after the 7 day time frame. Discussions of the final exam usually must take place within one day of the final exam in order to give me time to submit grades. EXAMS Two examinations will be given on the dates specified in the Syllabus for this course. This is a graduate-level class; therefore, the exams cover more than rote knowledge and include more integrated comprehension of the material and critical thinking related to it. The exams will likely be composed of short answer and essay questions. Specific details of each exam will be given in advance of the exam date. You are responsible for taking all exams at the times indicated. If you have an excused conflict (religious holiday, university obligation, etc.) on a scheduled test date, it is your responsibility to notify me in writing during the first week of class. In the case of an unforeseen illness or accident, please contact me via at the earliest possible time. SUFFICIENT SUPPORT MUST BE PRESENTED TO VERIFY THE CONDITIONS OF ALL EXCUSED ABSENCES. I will determine if your reason is valid. If I determine that your reason is valid, then we will make other arrangements for you to take the exam. At no time will you be allowed to postpone taking the exam beyond the class period in which I return the exam. If you do not make up the exam by the time specified, or if you miss an exam because of an invalid reason, you will receive a 0% for that exam. There are no makeup exams for the final exam. You must inform me of any SNAP accommodations at least one class period before an examination. INTERVIEWING PRACTICUM You will be required to participate in an interviewing practicum that will occur outside of the normal classroom time due to the time necessary to complete the practicum and the logistics required. Ample notice will be given of the practicum dates and time, but the tentative date for the practicum will be Friday, February 6. During the practicum, you will participate in a live interview with a role player during which you will demonstrate your knowledge of interviewing. The interview scenario will be given to you in advance of the practicum to give you time to prepare. The interview will be recorded and given to you so that you can evaluate your performance. WRITTEN CASES You will be responsible for completing five written cases during the semester. Each case is worth 20 points towards your final grade. Each case should be written as a professional report that should be addressed to your supervisor. I will be grading each case on content primarily, but I will also be assigning part of your grade to spelling, grammar, and professionalism. Each case should be two to four pages in length as appropriate based on the requirements. Written reports are extremely important in forensic accounting. The following cases will be covered (all found within Case Studies in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Auditing):

3 CASE 1: American Food Suppliers, Inc.: A Case Study in Fraud and Forensic Auditing (Case Study 5, pp ), Due Thursday, 1/22/15 CASE 2: Finding the Missing $6,000 Theft (Case Study 25, p. 187), Due Thursday, 2/5/15 CASE 3: Employee Fraud at Miami Rehabilitation Center (Case Study 3, pp. 5-15), Due Thursday, 2/19/15 CASE 4: Searching Public Sources for Forensic Accounting Evidence (Case Study 18, pp ), Due Tuesday, 3/17/15 CASE 5: Dr. Sterling s Disability Insurance Claim (Case Study 6, pp ), Due Tuesday, 4/7/15) MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS! SIMULATED FORENSIC CASE A major component of your grade will be your participation in a simulated forensic accounting case. Just as in the real world, you will complete this case in team comprised of yourself and two to three of your classmates (teams of three, with one or two teams of four depending on the final course enrollment; I will also consider teams of two if you desire). The case will be introduced on Tuesday, March 17 and teams will be formed on that day. You will be required to use the knowledge you have gained during the semester to uncover any fraud that may have been committed. You will be given an initial level of evidence, but all evidence beyond this initial round must be generated by your team. Evidence can be collected in any legal manner, including interviews, surveillance, analytical procedures, and other methods. New evidence will be requested in class on the days noted on the course schedule. Evidence requests must be professional, in writing, and must have a legal basis when necessary (subpoenas, for example). The evidence collection and processing aspect of the case will last approximately four weeks which should be plenty of time to develop the case, but the time limitation also represents real world time constraints when conducting forensic investigations. Your team should be prepared to conduct a final interview with your suspect (or suspects) on Tuesday, April 21. This interview will be with a role player and will have a time limit. There will not be a class session on this day; rather, each team will schedule a 15 minute time slot during the class time to conduct the interview. Based on the results of your interview and the evidence you gathered during the case, each team will make a presentation to the U.S. Attorney on Thursday. Again, there will not be a class session on this day. Each team will schedule a 10 minute time slot (US. Attorneys have limited time, after all!) and will be required to professionally lay out the case to the USA who will make the determination if the case is worth pursuing. Final grading for the case will primarily be based on the completeness of your investigation. If there was a fraud, did you find it? Did you find all of the frauds (if applicable)? Did you uncover

4 all of the clues? Your grade will also be based on the professionalism of a final fraud report you submit that details your investigation. The final fraud report will be due on Tuesday, May 5. The last component of your grade will be based on your peer evaluations. Each of you will receive a peer evaluation form to fill out for each of your teammates. Based on the results of these evaluations, I reserve the right to lower a student s final case grade. ADRIAN PROJECT The Adrian Project is a simulated criminal investigation run by IRS Criminal Investigation. IRS-CI has graciously offered to run the project for us tentatively the week after Spring Break. The Project represents an excellent opportunity to see how criminal investigations are run and will be an excellent warmup to your simulated forensic case. Participants in the Project will be Special Agents for a day and will have a chance to review evidence, interview witnesses, conduct surveillance of suspects and ultimately make an arrest on a criminal (yes, you will get handcuffs!). Participation in the Project is not mandatory and will also be open to a few other students outside of this class, but you will have first priority (and you d be a fool to miss this opportunity). More details will be presented as they come. Extra Credit I may offer extra-credit opportunities throughout the semester in the form of bonus questions, or participation in research studies. I will not offer any extra-credit opportunities after the final exam. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The university assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students submit for credit only the products of their own efforts. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. Lack of policy knowledge is not an acceptable defense to any charge of academic dishonesty. All members of the academic community -- students, faculty, and staff -- are expected to report violations of academic conduct standards to the appropriate authorities. All students are expected to adhere to the College of Charleston Honor Code. Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that, when identified, will be investigated thoroughly by me. It is important to remember that unauthorized collaboration--working together without permission-- is a form of cheating. Unless I specify that students can work together on an assignment and/or test, NO collaboration is permitted. Other forms of cheating include possessing or using an unauthorized study aid (such as a PDA or a text-programmable calculator), copying from another s exam, fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance to a fellow student(s). Any work done for this class must be your own original work. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course. This includes, but is not limited

5 to, consulting with another person during an exam, using technological tools inappropriately, turning in written work that was prepared by someone other than you, and making minor modifications to the work of someone else and turning it in as your own. Ignorance will not be permitted as an excuse. Students can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook at CELL PHONES: Set your phone to ensure that it makes no noise inside of this classroom. This means, either turn it off, or to silent, but not to vibrate before entering this classroom. Keep the cell phone out of sight for the entire class this means do not text and do not take messages during class. For all tests and in-class quizzes, a cell phone is not to be used as a calculator. Texting and/or internet usage during the lecture will result in severe grade penalties (up to one letter grade per infraction) and dismissal from the class with an absence counted. Texting and/or internet usage during exams or quizzes will result in a failing grade for that exam.

6 Other Accounting Department Policies: 1. Recording class lecture or discussion is strictly prohibited. Under no circumstance is permissible to record lectures. 2. You should not walk in late for class. If unavoidable circumstances warrant you being late, please come in quietly and take a seat. If, for some extreme circumstance, you must leave the classroom, please do so silently. Eating in class, talking to classmates during class, and packing a backpack before the class has ended, is rude and disruptive behavior. 3. Please familiarize yourself with the College s Student Code of Conduct as you are bound by those rules in this course. Rude and disruptive behavior, sleeping, texting, and talking during the lecture are prohibited and I reserve the right to dismiss you from the course permanently if I deem your breech of the Code of Conduct severe. 4. Students must complete all assigned material before coming to class. I reserve the right to not address questions or comments by those not doing the assigned work prior to class. This is consistent with the College of Charleston Classroom Code of Conduct (see Student Handbook, page 51). 5. The College of Charleston complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you need accommodation for any disability, please let me know at the beginning of the semester so that I can help you. 6. The professor reserves the right to amend this syllabus as circumstances warrant.

7 Tuesday, 1/13/15 Date Topic Materials Class Introduction and Expectations Syllabus Review Cooking the Books Video Guest Speaker: Missy Johnson from Elliott Davis Textbook Chapter 1 Topic: Opportunities in Forensic Thursday, 1/15/15 Accounting Tuesday, 1/20/15 Interviewing, Basics Interviewing, Basics Thursday, 1/22/15 Beyond the Numbers Video CASE 1 DUE Interviewing, Advanced Tuesday, 1/27/15 Beyond the Numbers Video Thursday, 1/29/15 Introduction to Deception Detection Tuesday, 2/3/15 Statement Analysis Thursday, 2/5/15 Statement Analysis, Applied CASE 2 DUE Tuesday, 2/10/15 Fraudulent Financial Reporting Textbook Chapter 3 Thursday, 2/12/15 Detecting Financial Statement Fraud Textbook Chapter 4 Textbook Chapter 5 Tuesday, 2/17/15 Overview of Other Frauds Textbook Chapter 5 Thursday, 2/19/15 Overview of Other Frauds CASE 3 DUE Tuesday, 2/24/15 Money Laundering Textbook Chapter 7 Thursday, 2/26/15 MIDTERM Tuesday, 3/3/15 SPRING BREAK Thursday, 3/5/15 SPRING BREAK

8 Date Topic Materials Tuesday, 3/10/15 Sources of Evidence and Information Thursday, 3/12/15 Indirect Methods of Reconstructing Income Textbook Chapter 6 Proper Evidence Management Textbook Chapter 9 Tuesday, 3/17/15 Thursday, 3/19/15 FORENSIC CASE: INTRODUCTION Investigation of Electronic Data Guest Speaker: Charlotte Allen from Webster Rogers Topic: IDEA Data Analysis Software CASE 4 DUE Textbook Chapter 13 Investigation of Electronic Data FORENSIC CASE: FIRST ROUND OF Tuesday, 3/24/15 EVIDENCE REQUESTS Thursday, 3/26/15 Digital Forensics Analysis Textbook Chapter 14 Textual Analysis Tuesday, 3/31/15 FORENSIC CASE: SECOND ROUND OF EVIDENCE REQUESTS Thursday, 4/2/15 Investigating Concealment Tuesday, 4/7/15 Thursday, 4/9/15 Investigating Theft FORENSIC CASE: THIRD ROUND OF EVIDENCE REQUESTS Investigating Theft Locating Hidden Assets Video CASE 5 DUE Fraud Reports FORENSIC CASE: FINAL ROUND OF Tuesday, 4/14/15 EVIDENCE REQUESTS Thursday, 4/16/15 Fraud Reports Tuesday, 4/21/15 FORENSIC CASE: FINAL INTERVIEWS Thursday, 4/23/15 FORENSIC CASE: PRESENTATION TO ATTORNEY Tuesday, 5/5/15 8:00-11:00 AM FINAL EXAM FORENSIC CASE FRAUD REPORTS DUE * Guest Speakers Subject to Change and Cancellation Based on Their Availability ** Schedule Subject to Change at the Professor's Discretion and With Ample Notice to Students