Hot Topics

Scheming Star

October 14, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

Kisean Paul Anderson aka Sean Kingston is a music artist mostly known for a 2000’s R&B hit song, “Beautiful Girls”.

Having this stardom led to brands providing products to Anderson in order to boost sales through association with the popular star. However, things did not go as planned for some brands who were...

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Flower Shop Fraud

October 12, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

Unfamiliar charges on your credit card?

This was the case for Mears Floral, a Springfield, Missouri business founded in 1949. Mears Floral served retail florists in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Mears Floral was in operation for over 70 years and employed Kayellen Faye Inskip as a bookkeeper and Operations Manager.

On...

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Unmonitored

October 8, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

Dennis Merle Huston pled guilty to a complicated embezzlement scheme to steal millions from Franklin County, Washington. 

Huston was the former director of administration and accounting at Franklin County Public Works. Huston confessed from March 1990 to February 2012, he fraudulently submitted invoices and payment requests for Critzer Equipment Company, then deposited the...

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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

October 6, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

After James Rupard moved to Stewartsville, North Carolina, he began working for the volunteer fire department.

While there he held positions as captain, treasurer, and eventually became Stewartsville Firefighters Association president. Stewartsville Firefighters Association was a separate, charitable association in charge of collecting and disbursing donations to the fire department.  

Rupard opened...

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Bags of Money

October 2, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

Hermes is a French luxury company founded in Paris in 1837, by Thierry Hermès. The brand is a luxury staple popular for clothing, jewelry, and most notably, handbags. Arguably the most valuable luxury brand at $281 billion as of April 2025.

For such a high value company, there is a need for advisors...

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10 Signs Your Employee May Be Stealing — and What to Do About It

September 30, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

Employee theft can be difficult to detect, especially in small and midsize businesses where one trusted employee may have significant control over financial transactions.

Fraud rarely announces itself. More often, it appears as a series of small inconsistencies, unusual behaviors, or unexplained financial results. While no single warning sign proves an...

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Double Trouble

September 28, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

When fraud occurs It’s often a trusted employee having too much control over the organization’s finances, with no checks or proper fraud prevention measures in place.

Such is the case for Mr. Mark Cina who worked as a comptroller at two companies in Poughkeepsie, New York. Company One designed and manufactured solar energy...

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When the Books Lie

September 24, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

Embezzlement doesn’t always look like a dramatic theft. Sometimes, it looks like an ordinary accounting entry.

A recent federal case involving a Kansas City, Missouri executive illustrates how a trusted employee can use access to company finances to steal millions of dollars while attempting to make the company’s financial records appear legitimate.

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Recorder Ruse

September 22, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

A bookkeeper is in a position of trust.

They have the responsibility of reconciling payments and making sure the financials of a business match up to expense records. However, when a bookkeeper abuses this power it can be dangerous, depending on the amount of control over bank accounts one individual has. This was...

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Ghost Employees

September 18, 2026 by SDC CPAs LLC

SDC has worked many cases involving ghost employees.

In these cases, an individual misappropriates pay by creating ghost employees who are paid for time not actually worked.

In 2024, Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, announced the arrest of five individuals...

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