The events in Minnesota just seem to get worse by the day and continue to reflect poor governance standards and practices at the state level. The problems did not occur overnight and were not the result of a few random individuals. These events were flagged as suspicious as early as 2020; however, regulatory hesitation and…
For many financial institutions and other enterprises, whistleblowing programs fall into the “regulatory checkbox” category. They are important for regulatory compliance, but they’re often ignored or handled reactively. When handled correctly, these programs often capture some of the earliest and most candid signals of emerging risk within an organization. Research from the Association of Certified…
Call me old-fashioned, but I was raised to believe that lying is a form of deception and reflects poor character and judgment; however, lying under oath is a crime that carries consequences. For years, Americans who value truth have watched in amazement and frustration as certain figures emerged from one scandal to the next, not…
Corporate Governance – An Often Overlooked Weakness Over the years, I have had numerous conversations with colleagues and industry insiders about why some organizations fail, and others do not. I have also attended and spoken at many conferences involving trust and ethics. In my view, here are a few key reasons why some organizations fail,…
My Ukraine Story – Part 9 As most of the civilized world knows, February 24th marked four years since Russia launched its brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, we have seen the nature of modern warfare rewritten, the map of European security redrawn, and the lives of the average Ukrainian profoundly transformed; however, all is…
The Digitization of Fraud Detection Mykhailo Fedorov was recently appointed as Ukraine’s new Defense Minister. There are a couple of interesting aspects of this appointment, including his background and age. In 2019, he was appointed Minister of Digital Transformation at the age of 28. He is currently 35, a generation younger than most NATO Defense…
Can Fraud Ever Be Totally Eliminated A few weeks ago, I was talking with a potential client who had been experiencing unusual issues with their business. They suspected that certain employees were not being totally honest and forthright. We were having discussions to determine better where the problems started and how they were allowed to…
Over the past several weeks, we have been inundated with stories concerning government waste and fraud. You could not escape this unless you have been living in an isolated part of the world, i.e., hiking in the rainforests of Brazil or the outback in Australia. From now on, the entire narrative of fraud will change,…
Over the past several years, I have noticed a trend that is very concerning to me and to certain people in other parts of the world who value success and determination. It seems that a particular segment of our population has learned to fear, or even work against, success and achievement. They almost seem to…
It seems as if every day we are witnessing massive fraud in corporate America and across various branches of our government at both the national and state levels. The latest example is the alleged fraud in Minnesota. The preliminary findings indicate this involves billions of dollars. The question at hand is how this fraud occurred…