In January 2008, it was discovered that William Borchard, who handled due diligence for clients of PwC interested in mergers and acquisitions, divulged controversial plans to Gregory Raben, an auditor at the firm, and Raben used the information to buy stock ahead of a series of corporate takeovers. The SEC found the two guilty of insider trading, a violation of the law. Assume none of the clients were audit clients. What are the ethical issues involved in engaging in such transactions? Were any of the AICPA rules of conduct violated? Explain.

In January 2008, it was discovered that William Borchard, who handled due diligence for clients of PwC interested in mergers and acquisitions, divulged controversial plans to Gregory Raben, an auditor at the firm, and Raben used the information to buy stock ahead of a series of corporate takeovers. The SEC found the two guilty of insider trading, a violation of the law. Assume none of the clients were audit clients. What are the ethical issues involved in engaging in such transactions? Were any of the AICPA rules of conduct violated? Explain.

Contemporary Auditing

11th Edition

ISBN:9781337650380

Author:KNAPP

Publisher:KNAPP

Chapter2: Audits Of High-risk Accounts

Section2.9: Powder River Petroleum International, Inc.

Problem 4Q

See similar textbooks

Similar questions

[The following information applies to the questions displayed below.] Per SEC release, from 2012 through 2014 then EY partner Pamela Hartford violated Independence Rules by having an affair with a client. Reports state she engaged in a personal relationship with Robert Brehl, the chief accounting officer of a public company that she serviced as a member of the audit engagement team. Another EY partner Michael Kamienski (the supervising partner on this engagement) became aware of facts suggesting an improper relationship between Hartford and Brehl. However, he failed to follow up on his suspicions. While Hartford and Brehl tried to keep their relationship a secret, they did attend client and EY social events. This suggests that others at both EY and the client could have been aware of the affair. As part of the first SEC enforcement action of its kind, the SEC made charges of a breach of Independence against EY, Hartford, and Kaminski as well as Brehl. All parties agreed to settle the…
[The following information applies to the questions displayed below.] Per SEC release, from 2012 through 2014 then EY partner Pamela Hartford violated Independence Rules by having an affair with a client. Reports state she engaged in a personal relationship with Robert Brehl, the chief accounting officer of a public company that she serviced as a member of the audit engagement team. Another EY partner Michael Kamienski (the supervising partner on this engagement) became aware of facts suggesting an improper relationship between Hartford and Brehl. However, he failed to follow up on his suspicions. While Hartford and Brehl tried to keep their relationship a secret, they did attend client and EY social events. This suggests that others at both EY and the client could have been aware of the affair. As part of the first SEC enforcement action of its kind, the SEC made charges of a breach of Independence against EY, Hartford, and Kaminski as well as Brehl. All parties agreed to settle the…
Mark Williams, CPA, was engaged by Jackson Financial Development Company to audit the financial statements of Apex Construction Company, a small closely held corporation. Williams was told when he was engaged that Jackson Financial needed reliable financial statements that would be used to determine whether to purchase a substantial amount of Apex Construction’s convertible debentures at the price asked by the estate of one of Apex’s former directors. Williams performed his audit in a negligent manner. As a result of his negligence, he failed to discover substantial defalcations by Carl Brown, the Apex controller. Jackson Financial purchased the debentures, but it would not have done so if the defalcations had been discovered. After discovery of the fraud, Jackson Financial promptly sold them for the highest price offered in the market at a $70,000 loss. If Apex Construction also sues Williams for negligence, what are the probable legal defenses Williams’s attorney would raise?…
Mark Williams, CPA, was engaged by Jackson Financial Development Company to audit the financial statements of Apex Construction Company, a small closely held corporation. Williams was told when he was engaged that Jackson Financial needed reliable financial statements that would be used to determine whether to purchase a substantial amount of Apex Construction’s convertible debentures at the price asked by the estate of one of Apex’s former directors. Williams performed his audit in a negligent manner. As a result of his negligence, he failed to discover substantial defalcations by Carl Brown, the Apex controller. Jackson Financial purchased the debentures, but it would not have done so if the defalcations had been discovered. After discovery of the fraud, Jackson Financial promptly sold them for the highest price offered in the market at a $70,000 loss. Will the negligence of Mark Williams, CPA, prevent him from recovering on a liability insurance policy covering the practice of…
Mark Williams, CPA, was engaged by Jackson Financial Development Company to audit the financial statements of Apex Construction Company, a small closely held corporation. Williams was told when he was engaged that Jackson Financial needed reliable financial statements that would be used to determine whether to purchase a substantial amount of Apex Construction’s convertible debentures at the price asked by the estate of one of Apex’s former directors. Williams performed his audit in a negligent manner. As a result of his negligence, he failed to discover substantial defalcations by Carl Brown, the Apex controller. Jackson Financial purchased the debentures, but it would not have done so if the defalcations had been discovered. After discovery of the fraud, Jackson Financial promptly sold them for the highest price offered in the market at a $70,000 loss. What liability does Williams have to Jackson Financial? Explain
During a recent discussion with the top management of GreenTree Company, a large publicly-traded entity, the external auditors, Wood's CPA firm has been apprised that the management of GreenTree may have knowingly allowed misstatements in the firm's most recent financial statements to be published. GreenTree's management are inquiring of the auditor as to management's potential liability in such a situation. The best response to this question by the external auditor would be which of the following?
Which of the following statements is/are correct? O a. The ban on simultaneously offering consulting and auditing services to economically relevant companies within the framework of the FISG results from the bad experiences that BaFin had with corresponding offers in the context of the Wirecard scandal. O b. Violations of the so-called "blacklist" lead to significant fines being paid by the auditing company. Oc. According to the Financial Market Integrity Strengthening Act, companies are obliged to set up an audit committee to monitor the quality of the audit. O d. The external rotation of auditing firms requires more frequent tendering processes for auditing services.
Gordon & Moore, CPAs, were the auditors of Fox & Company, a brokerage firm. Gordon & Moore examined and reported on the financial statements of Fox, which were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several of Fox’s customers were swindled by a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by two key officers of the company. The facts establish that Gordon & Moore were negligent, but not reckless or grossly negligent, in the conduct of the audit, and neither participated in the fraudulent scheme nor knew of its existence. The customers are suing Gordon & Moore under the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for aiding and abetting the fraudulent scheme of the officers. The customers’ suit for fraud is predicated exclusively on the negligence of the auditors in failing to conduct a proper audit, thereby failing to discover the fraudulent scheme. What is the probable outcome of the lawsuit? Explain. What other…
Gordon & Moore, CPAS, were the auditors of Fox & Company, a brokerage firm. Gordon & Moore examined and reported on the financial statements of Fox, which were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several of Fox's customers were swindled by a fraudulent scheme perpetrated by two key officers of the company. The facts establish that Gordon & Moore were negligent, but not reckless or grossly negligent, in the conduct of the audit, and neither participated in the fraudulent scheme nor knew of Its existence. The customers are suing Gordon & Moore under the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for alding and abetting the fraudulent scheme of the officers. The customers' sult for fraud is predicated exclusively on the negligence of the auditors in falling to conduct a proper audit, thereby failing to discover the fraudulent scheme. Required: Answer the following, setting forth reasons for any conclusions stated. a. What is…
Waste Management Scandal (1998), is one of the top 10 accounting scandals of all times. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) found the company's owner and former CEO, Dean L Buntrock, guilty, along with several other top executives, and Waste Management's auditors, Arthur Andersen. How does this fact coordinates with the reasons that force an accountant to go for unethical practices?
Nixon & Co., CPAs, issued an unmodified opinion on the 2015 financial statements of Madison Corp. These financial statements were included in Madison’s annual report and Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Nixon did not detect material misstatements in the financial statements as a result of negligence in the performance of the audit. Based upon the financial statements, Harry Corp. purchased stock in Madison. Shortly thereafter, Madison became insolvent, causing the price of the stock to decline drastically. Harry has commenced legal action against Nixon for damages based upon Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. What would be Nixon’s best defense to such an action? Explain.
For each situation below identify and explain the threat and one fundamental principle that is comprised.- An accountant has compiled the financial statements for a client and was requested to also audit the statements.- The financial director of Baboo Ltd is very aggressive and dismissive of the audit function and audit team- A chartered accountant values a client’s shares and then leads the negotiations on the sale of the client’s company- The chartered accountant fails to report a fraud of a client because the perpetrator is a close friend and he issympathetic to the interest of his friend.