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Sunday, November 20, 2011
Accountant crushed to death by vehicle hired by police - MoneyControl.com
Mumbai, Nov 3 (PTI) A 47-year-old accountant was today crushed to death by a towing vehicle hired by city police in suburban Ghatkopar, prompting locals to protest against the cops, police said. Imran Baitullah Khan (19), who was behind the wheel of the towing vehicle, and Vikhroli traffic police constable Arun Shankar Kadam (42), seated next to him, were arrested in the case, they said. The incident occurred at a turning on the Damji Samji Chowk located in Pant Nagar area. "The towing vehicle took a left turn at high speed and knocked down the victim Kirit Mehta, who was crossing the road. The vehicle then subsequently hit a parked stationary tempo at high speed," an official said. Police have sent blood samples of the driver and constable for testing after locals alleged that the duo were under the influence of alcohol. A crowd of over 1,500 persons took to the streets seeking strict action against the two accused, police said. PTI VM VKV
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Saturday, November 19, 2011
DiMasi accountant to enter plea
According to defense lawyers and prosecutors, Alford pleas are rarely allowed by judges because there is no admission of guilt. The centerpiece of most pleas is the defendant?s acceptance of responsibility, they said. Ball, according to a Boston defense lawyer who knows her well, is one of the few local judges who will accept such pleas.
Vitale, who was also DiMasi?s longtime financial adviser and campaign treasurer, is accused of secretly lobbying DiMasi and other legislators on behalf of the Massachusetts Association of Ticket Brokers. The group paid Vitale $60,000 to push 2007 legislation that would have lifted the state?s $2 limit on ticket surcharges.
Vitale, and his consulting firm WN Advisors, were charged with failing to register as lobbyists and making political donations beyond the $200 limit for lobbyists.
In addition, Vitale was accused of breaking another section of the lobbying law by signing a contract with the ticket brokers that included a success fee, a bonus that would have been paid only if the legislation the group sought had been signed into law. Success fees are illegal in Massachusetts.
Vitale has argued he was a consultant, not a lobbyist, and did not need to register.
Since the case will not go to trial, many of the details will never be made public, including the ways Vitale sought to influence DiMasi and other key lawmakers on Beacon Hill. Prosecutors had attempted to file statements of their case, but were rebuffed by different Suffolk Superior Court judges.
Last month, Vitale?s lawyer, Martin Weinberg, said his client wanted to resolve the case. But the plea was delayed while the defense and prosecution tried unsuccessfully to reach agreement.
For several weeks, no hearings were scheduled. That ended Monday, when Ball, who has been criticized by prosecutors for lenient sentencing, began sitting in Suffolk Superior Court. On Monday, the change of plea was set for this afternoon.
Neither prosecutors nor Weinberg returned phone calls requesting comment.
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Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Accountant cheats employers of Rs93 lakh - Daily News and Analysis
Satellite police on Monday received a case of cheating in which an accountant of a company had allegedly siphoned off Rs41 lakh of the company's money in the last six months. The accountant is said to have forged a bank account in the name of the company to encash the signed cheques he allegedly stole.
Ritesh Sharaf, a resident of Someshwar Bungalows near Shyamal crossroads lodged an FIR with Satellite police station stating that one Vimal Sharma, resident of Vasna, had stopped coming to office since Friday last week. Sharma who was working with Sharaf Dyechem Industry as an accountant allegedly stole six to seven signed cheque books worth Rs93 lakh from his employers.
According to police, since Sharma was dealing with the company's banking related works, he had opened a bank account in company's name by forging documents. Cops said that Sharma used the account to withdraw money using the cheques he reportedly stole.
Police said that in the last six months Sharma had siphoned off Rs41 lakh by using this modus operandi and stopped coming to office since last Friday. When the company officials discovered the fraud, they lodged an FIR with the cops.
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Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_accountant-cheats-employers-of-rs93-lakh_1613332
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Monday, November 14, 2011
Accountant sifing through finances of bankrupt 'Mob Experience' - Las Vegas Sun
Thursday, Nov. 3, 2011 | 10:02 p.m.
Accountants studying the finances of the bankrupt Las Vegas Mob Experience at the Tropicana say they need more time to figure out what millions of dollars in Experience funds were spent on.
The organized crime-themed Experience opened this spring, but its parent company Murder Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection Oct. 17 after its finances were hurt by disappointing visitor counts and it was the subject of at least 13 lawsuits involving unpaid bills and infighting among investors. The Experience remains open as it works its way through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.
Outside of the bankruptcy case, an attorney for accountant Larry Bertsch, a court-appointed special master in one of the many Mob Experience lawsuits, on Wednesday filed Bertsch?s preliminary report on the Experience?s finances.
The report was filed in a lawsuit pitting Mob Experience creditors against Experience developer Jay Bloom, his wife Carolyn Farkas and three Bloom companies.
Creditors Vion Operations LLC and Strategic Funding Source Inc. charged in their lawsuit that Bloom defrauded them by hiding financial problems at the attraction to induce them to fund $3.1 million for the Experience in a deal in which they would be repaid with future Experience receipts; and that Bloom had looted the Experience of more than $1 million.
Bloom has denied those allegations and says it was his former partner, current Experience manager Louis Ventre, who looted the business ? charges denied by Ventre.
Bertsch, who was appointed by Clark County District Court Judge Gloria Sturman to help sort out the parties? financial claims against each other, raised several red flags in his first report Wednesday. For instance, he said some of the funding for the Experience originated with more than $10 million in promissory notes issued to investors, most paying 18 percent interest. This was part of about $13.559 million in secured and unsecured debt raised by the Experience, records show.
Bertsch raised the possibility that Experience creditors may seek to recover any payments that were made to these investors as "the interests in revenue and personal property of Murder Inc. claimed by most of the note holders do not appear to have been'' documented in financing statements.
He added: "Special master reserves comment on federal and state securities law issues raised by issuance of such notes.??
Attorneys for Vion and Strategic have charged in their lawsuit that the issuance of the notes amounted to the sale of unregistered securities in violation of state and federal law ? charges denied by Bloom, who has been pursuing counterclaims against Vion and Strategic.
In looking at the finances of Murder Inc., Bertsch found that between March 2009 and Sept. 29, 2011, it made "unspecified payments?? of $2.497 million to individuals and $1.018 million to companies "for purposes the special master cannot presently determine.??
Similarly, more than $343,000 was categorized as "unknown expense?? due to lack of proper categorization and documentation. This included more than $218,000 "for ATM withdrawals, house payments, meals and travel.??
Bloom left management of the Experience by July and it wasn?t specified in Wednesday?s report how much of these payments were made before and how much were made after he left.
Murder Inc.?s former parent company, Bloom's Eagle Group Holdings LLC, owns a $1.3 million "residence apparently purchased for Bloom?? and "Bloom states that the operating agreement of Eagle Group Holdings provides that he be furnished a residence,?? the special master reported.
Eagle Group Holdings similarly was identified in the report as making "unspecified payments?? of $607,822 "to individuals for purposes the special master cannot presently determine?? the report said.
Bertsch also reported that Eagle Group Holdings owes $343,104 in payroll taxes.
"Special Master has reason to believe that funds were transferred to Eagle Group Holdings for payroll and payroll taxes; payroll was paid to certain employees by Eagle Group Holdings; but payroll withholding and applicable taxes were not withheld or disbursed,?? his report said.
In looking at deposits and draws made to and from three of the companies by Bloom and Ventre on a cash accounting basis, Bloom?s net withdrawals totaled $466,904 and Ventre?s totaled $476,924. These draws and deposits were made between March 2009 and Sept. 29, 2011, for Murder Inc.; from March 2009 to July 1, 2011, for Eagle Group Holdings; and for Order 66 Productions LLC between March 15, 2011, and July 1, 2011.
Order 66 was a Bloom company that was a vehicle for infusing capital into Murder Inc. and at one point it was trying to bring a Star Wars attraction to the New York-New York hotel-casino, the special master said. Ventre was reported as making no deposits or draws from this company. The report said Bloom contributed $100 to Order 66 and withdrew $203,045 from that firm. The $203,045 is part of his net draws of $466,904.
Besides these three companies, the report covered five more related companies: A.D.D. Productions LLC, a Bloom company that was set up to operate a showroom at the Tropicana; Eagle Group Productions LLC, Eagle Group Marketing LLC, Vegas Con Xpress and Wear LLC and The Mafia Collection LLC, "which purports to have acquired various artifacts from living members of persons alleged to have had associations with organized crime,?? the report said.
In looking at their additions and draws from the businesses on an accrual basis of accounting, relying on books and records rather than cash entries, Bertsch found Bloom had net draws of $218,458 while Ventre?s net draws totaled $396,896.
It?s not known which accounting method is more accurate.
The lack of detailed information about the companies? finances and contradictory information that was discovered caused Bertsch to comment in the report that his team "found substantial discrepancies between the few available legal documents and accounting entries.??
The report concluded, "Bloom and Ventre might have had an interesting and perhaps marketable idea for a unique attraction. They were able to solicit investor/lenders for substantial seed money and, in part, to commence a collection of curiosities from a romanticized period of American and Las Vegas history.??
"At some point, apparently sooner rather than later, at least one promoter believed in his own welfare rather than that of the idea or the business,?? the report said without naming names.
"What was a seemingly cash-rich core, Murder became a spending machine. Murder spent its money on the Mob Experience project and transferred its money to related business entities,?? the report said. "Instead of using the investor/lender funds to further operations, Murder was forced to borrow against future revenue. Then the Experience began to languish as Murder began to collateralize (back up) its other debt obligations with the same collateral: artifacts and future revenue.??
Issuance of the report follows an updated bankruptcy court filing this week in which Murder Inc. reported it has assets of $324,389 against liabilities of $26.643 million.
In the bankruptcy case, Murder Inc. plans to sell its assets to an existing Experience investor, John Vipulis, for about $2 million.
A message for comment was left with Ventre about the Bertsch report showing his draws from the Mob Experience companies exceeded Bloom?s ? an assertion Ventre is expected to deny as his attorneys blame Bloom for spending the unaccounted for funds.
Bloom, in the meantime, said the report confirmed what he has said all along, that "no funds, much less the millions of dollars claimed, are `missing? or `unaccounted for? as alleged by the (lawsuit) plaintiffs.??
Noting Bertsch?s report found Ventre?s draws of $476,924 (by one method of accounting) exceeded Bloom?s draws from Murder Inc. and Eagle Group Holdings by more than $200,000, Bloom said: "Because Ventre's extra $200,000 could only have come over the last several months after his taking control of the checkbook in July 2011, Mr. Bertsch's report appears to bear out the allegations against Ventre.??
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Sunday, November 13, 2011
Town accountant resigns
Team Cohasset is losing its financial quarterback.
Town accountant and finance director John Stanbrook resigned from his post in Cohasset on October 5 after nine months on the job. He will return to his previous position as town accountant in Mansfield on Oct. 31; his last day in Cohasset is Oct. 28.
Town manager Mike Coughlin announced Stanbrook?s departure during the Wednesday, Oct. 5 capital budget meeting; he had received Stanbrook?s resignation letter earlier that day. Since Coughlin started as Cohasset?s new town manager on August 1, he has continually referred to Stanbrook as ?Team Cohasset?s quarterback,? since so much responsibility was heaped onto the one position to reconcile Cohasset?s financial issues.
?He?s a great professional, and he has contributed a lot to the town,? Coughlin said on Friday. ?An indicator for a man is not only how he performs his job, but how he provides for his family.?
Stanbrook, who lives in Halifax, said the reason he is returning to his former post is for family reasons: Mansfield is closer to home, and working in Cohasset was a ?difficult time commitment,? Stanbrook said.
?The person who holds this job needs to put the time in to do it properly,? said Stanbrook. ?I?m passing the baton off to someone who can put in the time needed to right the ship.
?It was a good opportunity for me,? he added, ?but my personal situation has changed.?
For full story, see the Oct. 14 issue of the Cohasset Mariner.
Source: http://www.wickedlocal.com/cohasset/news/x1611318505/Town-accountant-resigns
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Friday, November 11, 2011
NYer Of The Week: Retired Accountant Now A Full-Time Volunteer
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A retired accountant is giving back to the New York community through countless volunteer efforts. NY1?s Jessica Abo filed the following report.
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When Sami Steigmann retired from being an accountant, he decided it was time to start giving back.
?I like to do two things. Okay, number one, I like to give tours. The other thing that I like to do is, I have a need, it's not a want, it's a need to share and to teach,? says Steigmann.
At 71 years old. this Manhattan resident volunteers at 18 locations. He's a Big Apple Greeter, gives tours of the Intrepid and at Governor's Island, and he helps at New York Cares and with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
NY1 joined Steigmann on his tour through The Museum of Jewish Heritage ? A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. He was born in Romania and is a Holocaust survivor himself.
?That he was able, through internal resources, to choose a path to do good in the world and make peoples' lives better is a remarkable story. He's a remarkable man,? says Dr. David Marwell, director of the museum.
?He does more work than I do, and I do a lot, so I'm really impressed that he's able to do all of these things especially for the museum,? says Monica Brandwein, volunteer coordinator.
Steigmann spends about 60 hours a week volunteering, and he says that number is about to increase thanks to a new organization he helped start.
?I am the co-founder of a new organization called ISME ? Initiative for a Sustainable Midtown East ? and they are looking to help the community become more environmentally aware,? says Steigmann.
His friend and fellow volunteer May Shalit says Steigmann is a gift to every institution he supports.
?My husband and I went with our little grandson Shane and followed his tour on the Intrepid and the facts and figures that he just remembers, it was like a brilliant 18-year-old, his mind,? says Shalit.
For giving so much of his time to New York organizations that need him, Sami Steigmann is the latest New Yorker of the Week.
If you'd like to nominate someone to be NY1's New Yorker of the Week, send an email describing their qualifications to: nyer@ny1.com or mail a letter to:
NY1 News
New Yorker of the Week
75 Ninth Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mozambique: Assembly Passes Bill On Accountants and Auditors - AllAfrica.com
3 November 2011
Maputo ? The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Thursday passed the first reading of a government bill establishing the Order of Accountants and Auditors of Mozambique.
This body is roughly equivalent to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Britain, or to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Introducing the bill, Finance Minister Manuel Chang said the existing legal framework for accountancy and auditing is "inadequate and insufficient".
The number of professionals in these areas "has grown considerably in recent years", he noted, "and the development of the Mozambican economy, its growing internationalization, the diversification of the business matrix, and the transformations arising from the information society, imply increasingly rigorous levels of knowledge, and high technical and ethnical standards in these professions".
To date there were 11 auditing companies, 93 accountancy offices, and 3,353 individual accountants registered with the Ministry of Finance, Chang added.
Accountant and auditors had felt the need to establish their own professional body, the Minister said. A series of seminars had been held, debating the draft bill, and involving not only the accounts and auditors themselves, but also trade unions and business associations.
The Order will be responsible for accrediting all accountants and auditors, who will not be able to work in the profession without this accreditation.
It will manage all matters concerned with the exercise of the profession, Chang said, "so as to guarantee its technical and functional independence, the defence of the dignity and prestige of its members, and their rights, and the promotion of ethical principles".
The Order will be asked to propose legislative or regulatory measures which it deems necessary for improving the country's accounting systems, and will give its opinion on any draft legislation affecting accountancy and auditing.
Chang expected the creation of the Order of Accountants and Auditors to make a significant contribution "to the government's efforts to improve the business environment in Mozambique". But it would also be "completely independent of the state and of other public and private organisations".
The main opposition party, the former rebel movement Renamo, abstained in the vote, because the bill did not impose provincial delegations of the Order. Renamo deputy Jose Palaco claimed that if there were no provincial delegations, accountants living in the provinces would be obliged to travel to the Order's headquarters in Maputo to deal with professional matters. "The state is abandoning the accountants in the provinces", he declared.
Chang pointed out that the bill leaves it up to the accountants and auditors themselves to decide what type of territorial organisation they want. It says that the Order has its head office in Maputo and "may open delegations or other forms of representation throughout the national territory, whenever deemed necessary to pursue its ends".
Furthermore, the Order's installation committee had set up regional branches in the south, centre and north of the country, and focal points in all the provinces. Chang thought it would be inappropriate for the government to dictate the exact form of territorial structure the order should adopt.
Renamo was unmoved, and insisted that provincial delegations should be written into the Order's statutes and become legally binding.
In the vote the 183 deputies present from the ruling Frelimo Party and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) voted in favour, while the 43 Renamo deputies in the chamber abstained.
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
North Platte doctors' accountant convicted of tax evasion
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After a five-year investigation and dozens of court actions, accountant Lowell Baisden was convicted Monday of aiding and abetting tax evasion on behalf of North Platte medical professionals.
Biasden pleaded guilty to the charge. He faces up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped three other charges against Baisden.
U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf set Baisdens sentencing for noon on Jan. 12.
Baisden's prosecution began in 2006, when the U.S. Treasury Department filed action in California federal court, accusing Baisden and his brother-in-law, anesthesiologist Micheal Koning of North Platte, of funneling money to dummy Nevada corporations to avoid paying taxes.
The scheme had allegedly been going on for at least seven years, since 1999.
It began, according to the federal lawsuit, when Koning introduced Baisden to other physicians and medical employees in North Platte.
Koning ran a corporation called Anesthesia Consultants of Nebraska and provided exclusive anesthesia services to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in 2002. Baisden, a certified public accountant, lived in Bakersfield, Calif.
Over the years, Susan Baisden-Koning, a former certified public accountant and Michael Konings wife, also pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion. The Lincoln Journal-Star reported her plea was part of a deal with prosecutors that involves nearly $1 million in restitution.
As time went on, more indictments were handed down against Baisden, alleging he willfully attempted to shield taxes for Dr. Michael Trierweiler and his wife Deanna, along with Drs. Walter and Deborah Weaver and Donald and Kathryn Snoozy, all of North Platte.
They were all subsequently convicted.
The Weavers pleaded guilty to evading nearly $129,000 in taxes for 2003.
Michael Trierweiler pleaded guilty to evading nearly $93,000 in taxes for 2003 and his wife, Deanna, admitted she failed to pay taxes on two counts, in 2003 and 2004.
The Snoozys were convicted of failing to report $150,230 in income to the IRS in 2003 and $169,473 in 2004.
The Trierweilers, Weavers and Snoozeys have not yet been sentenced. Their date with justice was postponed because they agreed to be cooperating witnesses and testify against Baisden in his trial, the U.S. attorney's office said.
In court Monday, Baisden said he understood the charges.
I plead guilty, he said.
Under questioning from Kopf, Baisden said he pleaded guilty to accept responsibility for my behavior" and he willfully assisted Micheal and Susan Koening in 2003 to evade taxes.
He also said he is free of drugs, alcohol and prescription medications.
The tax fraud scheme reportedly attempted to shield more than $1.5 million in individual income taxes from the federal government. It stunned the North Platte community and launched waves of lawsuits and countersuits.
In just one of the related actions, two other North Platte residents, Evan Geilenkirchen and his wife Jane, filed a lawsuit against Baisden for improperly filing their tax returns for 2002 and for not filing returns for them for 2003 and 2004.
Warnings
Two employees of Konings, anesthetists Burt McKeag and Ron Bourne, phoned the IRS to report suspected criminal wrongdoing by Baisden and Koning, according to court records.
Bob McChesney, a North Platte certified public accountant, sent a letter in January 2004 to the U. S. Postal Service and Trierweiler along with other physicians accusing Baisden and Koning of illegal tax evasion schemes, court records show.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against that type of scheme years ago, McChesney told the Bulletin. That letter was to terminate relationships due to the scheme.
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Monday, November 7, 2011
LI's Attorneys and Accountants converge Las Vegas style - Long Island Business News
Networking is a fact of business life, and is important to advancing one?s professional career.� I am not (yet) the most avid or seasoned networker, but I am continuously improving and enjoying networking events more and more.� Recently, I attended a networking event which stood out to me, in terms of its content and programming.� It was a fun and successful evening that took a lot of the akwardness�out of networking.� I attended the Accountant/Attorney Networking Cocktail Reception on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage.� The Accountant/Attorney Networking Group is comprised of practicing accountants and practicing attorneys serving multiple clients, according to their website.� The purpose of the group is to facilitate networking between and among the attorneys and accountants which are two professions that have a great deal of synergy between them.� Even as a young attorney, I see a lot of this attorney and accountant synergy.
This great networking event had a ?Viva Las Vegas? theme and, in addition to being a great opportunity for those interested in networking with accountants and attorneys, was a fun evening as well.� Several premier sponsors attended the event, including finance companies, CPAs, banks, consulting companies and more.� I attended the event with Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP?s corporate department and we had a fun time at the event together.� Not being the most avid gambler or knowing much outside of blackjack, the event was a learning experience for me as well.� I played blackjack and craps tables and was fortunate enough to have a colleague showing me the ropes as we played.� I was catching on and I actually ended up doing pretty well on the blackjack table.
More importantly at the AANG event, while enjoying the Las Vegas fare, I met some really interesting and worthwhile people in the world of business and finance.� Normally people may be shy or less open to approaching others at networking events.� What made this event particularly fun and successful on the networking side was that people got a chance to sit next to one another at the various tables set up for Blackjack, Roulette or otherwise and introduce themselves in an easier, more relaxed fashion.� This enabled people to network while having fun; it was a terrific idea by the AANG.� I thoroughly enjoyed the event and look forward to attending future AANG events.� There were also several tables set up along the main room, with interesting companies in areas including technology, banking, healthcare and more.� I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to most of these people too and learn more about what they do.
The venue itself, Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage, was a fantastic setting, and as the pictures show, the�set up was well done.� I saw many fellow young Islanders at the event, a refreshing and promising sight.� I would be interested to hear about fellow young Islanders? networking stories, and about their ideal networking setting.
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Saturday, November 5, 2011
New Wareham accountant pulls out amid questions about hiring - SouthCoastToday.com
By
November 02, 2011 12:00 AM
WAREHAM ? Wareham has lost another town accountant ? this time before he even started the job.
After selectmen backed hiring Baystate Municipal Accounting Group Inc. to provide accounting services to the town, the firm has withdrawn its proposal, according to Town Administrator Mark Andrews.
The change in plans came amid questions about the firm's selection relative to requirements under the state's Uniform Procurement Act, which sets a standard course of action for municipalities when contracting for real estate, supplies, equipment and services.
The town had originally searched for an individual to fill the accountant post, which has been vacant since Andrews announced former town accountant Elizabeth Zaleski's termination in April, although she didn't actually resign until July as part of a settlement.
The pickings proved slim during two application rounds, when two people turned down the position and another candidate "had questions on whether or not she'd be able to handle the job "� due to ongoing audits and where the town stood financially," according to John Foster, the town's treasurer/collector and head of a screening committee.
But when Justin Cole of Baystate submitted his proposal, Foster told selectmen at a recent meeting "all of the members felt that this would be a good temporary fix for the immediate problem."
But the Uniform Procurement Act lays out "process specifics that must be followed when contracting for specific services with an accountant or an accounting firm (that likely were not followed in the town's process to hire an employee)," wrote Barbara Hansberry of the Inspector General's Office in an email. If the contract is estimated over $25,000, she wrote, the town "needs to develop a specification that outlines what it is looking for, it must be advertised and the award of the contract for services must be made to the lowest, qualified individual/firm that submits a bid. Another type of process, the (request for proposals) process, is also available for the town to use for contracts at this dollar threshold."
The Baystate contract selectmen approved was for $33,250 for up to 600 hours of work through the end of December. But "we didn't review other firms. ... We don't know if this is the best bang for our dollars," Selectman Cara Winslow said at a meeting last week before voting against the contract. "I'm pretty sure this needed to go out in an RFP and we didn't do that."
Andrews was unreachable for comment Tuesday. But, echoing an opinion he gave at the selectmen's meeting, he wrote in a memo to selectmen that "we relied on prior precedent at the inspector general to move ahead." A staff attorney, he wrote, "had formerly advised municipalities that firms such as (Baystate) providing (certified public accountant) like services would be exempt from the Uniform Procurement Act requirements."
Andrews says in the memo that this attorney has since left, and more recent "conversations with (inspector general) personnel ... about the continued application of this interpretation of the exemption yielded neither approval nor rejection of our ability to hire (Baystate) under the lengthy public process we followed ... " In the meantime, Baystate "withdrew its bid, stating it does not want to enter a new relationship under a cloud and that it is most careful about its reputation," he wrote. Cole was unreachable for comment. Officials are now soliciting proposals from accounting firms for a two-month contract, according to Andrews.
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Friday, November 4, 2011
Fort Lauderdale Accountant to Make Presentation to Hispanic Business Owners - Examiner
Boca Raton, FL (GALT MILE MEDIA) October 22, 2011 - �Liz Soria of Express Tax & Bookkeeping Services, a Fort Lauderdale accounting firm, has announced that she will be conducting an accounting presentation for small business owners of the Networking Hispanos networking group in Boca Raton, Florida on October 26, 2011. Seminar will be in�Spanish only. Networking Hispanos is a group of professionals who are dedicated to building personal and business relationships among Hispanic business owners in South Florida.
The seminar is titled ?Reducing Taxes Before Year End? and includes:
- "What you should know and do before year-end to lower your taxes in 2011"
- "What you Need to Know and do Before year end to reduce your 2011 taxes"
Networking Hispanos is proud to offer another seminar by teaming up with Liz Soria of Express Tax & Bookkeeping and present such compelling, helpful information to Hispanic business owners in South Florida. Networking Hispanos provides a great environment for Hispanic business owners to learn with the ability to ask questions and feel comfortable. "Small business owners need to understand what impacts their taxes and how to be able to reduce them,? says Liz Soria.
About Express Tax & Bookkeeping:
Express Tax & Bookkeeping Services, LLC was founded to provide high quality work with great customer service. We feel that our customer service is the best in the industry. We believe in communication with our clients, and our attentive, personal customer service allows us to stand above other bookkeeping firms. For more information, visit www.ETBSFL.com.
About Galt Mile Media Group:
Galt Mile Media Group is a full service marketing agency that specializes in website design and marketing for small businesses. Galt Mile Media, who manages the website for Express Tax & Bookkeeping, will be shooting the video Liz Soria?s presentation to be broadcast on her website.
Press Contact:
Nick J. Roy, MBA
Public Relations
Galt Mile Media Group, Inc.
954-537-4055
nick@galtmilemedia.com
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Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Accountant finds sports season ticket memberships win with valuable benefits - Examiner
Sports fans who are considering season ticket memberships may want to follow the businesslike approach of an entertainment business accountant to select the program that is best for them.� CPA� Steve Savitsky of Savitsky, Satin & Company has selected the Lexus Club program of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team.� The enthusiastic hockey fan has found many ways to support his business and our community by sharing the tickets with others.
?I can?t go to forty games a year myself,? says Savitsky, who is pleased that the Kings Care Foundation can help others with the tickets for games that do not fit his schedule.� This charitable organization has programs to donate extra tickets to schools and community organizations that can use them for their programs or sell the tickets for admission to individual games.� These sales support a wide range of good causes, such as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and are also used to raise funds at charity auctions. ��The Kings Care Foundation also hosts charity fundraising events, so that Savitsky can meet other fans who share his passion for hockey and for helping our community.
Savitsky has also observed from the professional perspective of an accountant how this type of well managed season ticket membership program presents a compelling ?win-win? opportunity.� Season ticket members can save as much as 53% compared to the cost of tickets to individual games.� They are also allowed to deduct the discounted cost of tickets they donate as ?in-kind? charitable contributions.� Like other accountants, Savitsky takes care to point out that the deduction applies only to gifts to qualified charities.� And he appreciates the advantage that the Kings Care Foundation takes all the guesswork out of this and manages all the itemized expense paperwork for season ticket members who want to make the most of their ticket packages.
Over the years, Savitsky has found many other benefits from his decision to purchase LA Kings season ticket memberships.� ?Now the Kings are so popular, almost everyone wants to go to see them,? he reports.� Savitsky sees the setting of the Lexus Club at STAPLES Center as a good match for client communications.� ?It?s exclusive, it?s a nice touch,? he notes.� The NHL tradition of two separate recesses during games and the access to the Lexus Club ninety minutes before each game makes this program as affordable as entertaining clients at a restaurant or renting a conference room.�
Savitsky often invites existing clients to join him, but points out that the opportunity to meet with a prospective new client at the right time can cover the cost of the whole program for an entire year.� Savitsky?s professional view of this opportunity is ?the Lexus Club and the Crown Club are nice places to show clients you value their business and get an opportunity to meet them in person.?
Read more about the Los Angeles Kings Hockey Team on Examiner.com at these links:
LA Kings latest player contract signals confidence in hockey?s future
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Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Wareham town accountant succeeded by private firm - South Coast Today
By
October 22, 2011 12:00 AM
WAREHAM ? The staffing upheaval in Wareham's accounting department may soon be over.
"We've appointed a town accountant," said Town Administrator Mark Andrews Friday, after accepting the recommendation of a screening committee. "It's a business arrangement with a company who had applied through the process."
Baystate Municipal Accounting Group is headed by Justin Cole, according to Andrews, who said the company comes "very well recommended" and is experienced at the town's accounting system. Most recently available Secretary of the Commonwealth filings indicate Baystate is a Maynard-based firm and lists Cole as president, secretary, treasurer and director.
Hiring the company would fill the position vacated by Elizabeth Zaleski, who left the post after a draft audit report for fiscal 2010 found a six-figure discrepancy between the accountant's general ledger and the treasurer's cash balance. Zaleski defended herself with a lawyer who contended the town hadn't followed the proper termination process. Ultimately, the town reached a settlement with Zaleski of $42,500.
Andrews said he didn't immediately know how many candidates had applied for the position. He said the screening committee was chaired by John Foster, treasurer/collector; Ana Miranda, director of operations/finance for Wareham Public Schools; Samuel Gray of the Finance Committee; and Selectman Ellen Begley. The matter must still be put before the Board of Selectmen, which has 15 days to review it, said Andrews, who said the company would work from Town Hall.
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Source: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111022/NEWS/110220338
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