THE MARCONIAN | Volume IV, Issue 6
Quote of the Week: "I am a great believer of luck; and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
-- Thomas Jefferson
February 12, 2016 - In This Issue:
Weekend Weather
Partly Sunny
Fri., Feb 12
AM Clouds/PM Sun
High 24 Low 1
Sunny
Sat., Feb 13
Mostly Cloudy
High 15 Low 11
Snow
Sun., Feb 14
Snow
High 24 Low 22
Chicago Sports 
 Tuesday, Feb 13
 Blackhawks vs.  Ducks
 7:30 PM, WGN
FEI Chicago Chapter Events
Dinner Meeting and Student Awards Night

Thursday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 PM

The Metropolitan Club
233 S Wacker Dr
Oak Room, 66th Floor

Join the FEI Chicago Chapter for a Dinner Meeting with Tom Sosnoff.  In addition, the FEI Chicago Chapter will present their student awards.

Tom Sosnoff, a former trader, became one of Chicago's well-known serial entrepreneurs in financial technology by building thinkorswim, an options-trading software platform that he sold to TD Ameritrade four years ago for $606 million. He then launched tastytrade, a website that produces eight hours of educational and other video programming for traders of all experience levels.

Click HERE to learn more!

Weekend Events
Experience Kissimmee Zipline at Millennium Park 

Saturday, Feb 13 - Monday, Feb 15

Millennium Park, Chase Promenade
55 N Michigan Ave

Bring the family to Millennium Park when Experience Kissimmee takes over Valentine's weekend with a 200-foot zipline. While you're there, you can enter to win a Kissimmee, Florida vacation and other prizes, or simply enjoy some hot chocolate. Did we mention you can have your photo taken with a baby alligator from Gatorland? The zipline and tent are free to the public, but donations of new or gently used coats are encouraged. All donated coats will be given to local children and adults in need. The festivities will take place from 11am-5pm at the North Chase Promenade of Millennium Park.

Click HERE to learn more!

IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft
by Michael Cohn|Accounting Today

An Internal Revenue Service employee who worked for the Taxpayer Advocate Service, where her job was to help taxpayers resolve their identity theft problems, pleaded guilty to stealing identities and orchestrating a tax-fraud scheme involving up to $1.5 million in fraudulent income tax returns.
Nakeisha Hall, 39, entered her guilty pleas Monday before U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre to theft of government funds, aggravated identity theft, unauthorized access to a protected computer and conspiracy to commit bank fraud and mail fraud affecting a financial institution. She acknowledged in her plea that the tax fraud conspiracy had an intended loss to the IRS of between $550,000 and $1.5 million. Hall agreed to restitution and forfeiture of $438,187, representing funds actually paid out by IRS as a result of the scheme. Hall's sentencing is scheduled June 29.
Hall worked in the Taxpayer Advocate Service office in Birmingham from July 2007 to November 2011. Since November 2011, Hall has worked in TAS offices in Omaha, Neb., New Orleans, La., and Salt Lake City, Utah. TAS is responsible for assisting taxpayers who are having difficulties with the IRS. TAS works with victims of identity theft and assists them in removing fraudulent tax information from their accounts and in filing corrected tax returns, if necessary.
"Ms. Hall used her IRS access to compromise taxpayers' identities and try to steal more than $1 million dollars from the U.S. Treasury," said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce White Vance in a statement. "Taxpayers must be able to trust that IRS employees will protect their sensitive information, not steal it and corrupt it for personal gain. I thank the TIGTA and IRS-CI investigators who helped my office ensure that this crime was prosecuted and punished."
A federal grand jury in December indicted Hall, along with Jimmie Goodman, 37, and Abdulla Coleman, 37, both of Birmingham, Ala., on charges they took part in the scheme, which operated out of Birmingham between 2008 and 2011 (see IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service Employee Charged in Identity Theft Scheme). The scheme involved stealing personal identity information from the IRS to create fraudulent tax returns, and collecting the stolen refunds that were generated. A separate indictment charged another co-conspirator, Lashon Roberson, 36, of Pelham, Ala., with the conspiracy and four counts of mail fraud affecting a financial institution. Roberson is scheduled to plead guilty on Wednesday.
Goodman is scheduled for trial Feb. 29, and Coleman is to be arraigned on the charges against him on Thursday, after being arrested in Madison, Wis., and transferred to the Northern District of Alabama.
According to the indictments and Hall's plea, Hall, Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and at least one other individual, conspired to defraud both the IRS and financial institutions, including Bancorp Bank, between January 2008 and November 2011, and used the U.S. mail to execute the fraud. Hall, Goodman, Coleman and Roberson also conspired to obtain money from Bancorp Bank and other financial institutions. Bancorp Bank and other financial institutions issue stand-alone debit cards for the purpose of accepting tax refunds.
According to prosecutors, Hall obtained individuals' names, birth dates and Social Security numbers through unauthorized access to IRS computers. She used the personal identity information to prepare fraudulent income tax returns and submitted them electronically to the IRS. Hall asked the IRS to pay the refunds onto debit cards and directed that the cards be mailed to drop addresses that she controlled. She solicited and received drop addresses from Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and at least one other person. Her co-conspirators also collected the refund cards from the mail.
Hall activated the cards by using stolen identity information. She, Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and the unnamed co-conspirator allegedly took the money off the debit cards at ATMs or used the cards for purchases. If the fraudulent returns generated U.S. Treasury checks rather than the requested debit cards, Hall and her co-conspirators used fraudulent endorsements in order to cash the checks. Hall compensated Goodman, Coleman, Roberson and the fifth co-conspirator by giving them a portion of the refund money, or by giving them refund cards for their own use.
"Abusing her position with the Internal Revenue Service, Ms. Hall stole the identities of taxpayers through unauthorized access to IRS computers and filed false tax returns seeking more than a million dollars in tax refunds," said Karl A. Stiften, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation's St. Louis Field Office. "This defendant systematically defrauded the government and blatantly disregarded the victims of her scheme."
The theft, aggravated identity, and unauthorized access counts relate to two specific taxpayers' information that Hall accessed and used in 2010.
The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum prison penalty for theft of government funds is 10 years in prison. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year prison term, which must be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed in the case, and unauthorized access to a protected computer carries a maximum five-year prison term. All three charges carry a maximum $250,000 penalty.
IRS Criminal Investigation and the Treasury Inspector Generation for Tax Administration investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Williamson Barnes is prosecuting.


Available Talent Spotlight
Is your team looking for someone with this skill set? 

Accounting Consultant, MBA, CPA
 
Accomplished accounting and finance professional with particular expertise in healthcare and non-for-profit organizations. 
  • Specialized in financial planning, cash management, budgeting, month and year end close, managing external audits, forecasting, financial analysis, costing and operational/financial reporting. 
  • Experienced in efficiency improvements including performance evaluation, training and development, documentation of policies and desktop procedures, streamlining budgeting processes and cost saving solutions. 
  • Extensive systems knowledge including Peoplesoft, Lawson, SAP, Blackbaud, Excel, Oracle, JD Edwards and Quickbooks. 
If this person would be a good fit for your team, please contact Jonathan Moe at 312.546.9800 or at [email protected]
Potential Opportunity
Looking for a new opportunity? 

Finance Analyst II
 
The Finance Analyst II position is responsible compiling and analyzing complex financial data used for decision making. The activities may include analysis of internal, external, organization wide, or department specific or patient specific data. The analyst function also includes pro-forma projections, contract and regulatory interpretations, and management summary reporting. This position requires a combination of financial, computer, data base management, and people skills. 
 
Qualifications
  • Bachelor's in Accounting or Finance.
  • 5-7 years healthcare experience.
  • MBA and or CPA preferred.
Interested parties are encouraged to contact David Tuminello at 312.546.9800 or at [email protected]
Potential Opportunity
Looking for a new opportunity? 

Senior Accountant Contract Engagement
 
Looking for an experienced Senior Accountant for a contract engagement in support of a large manufacturing organization for a period of 5-8 months.  Individual will be responsible for the following:
  • Review, investigate, and correct errors and inconsistencies in financial entries, documents, and reports.
  • Assist in month-end sales reports and ensure these agree to the general ledger.
  • Ensure timely and accurate completion of all Balance Sheet General Ledger reconciliations as well as the maintaining and posting of journal entries, payroll expenses, monthly periodic and fixed entries
  • Assist in the internal financial reporting process including the consolidation of monthly, quarterly and annual financial information consisting of capital expenditures, accounts receivable, debt and notes receivable.
  • To perform this job successfully, and individual should have a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, spreadsheet software and experience with Axapta/MS Dynamics and other ERP and/or manufacturing software.
Interested parties are encouraged to contact Jonathan Moe at 312.546.9800 or at [email protected]