he Fraud Farm is dedicated as a depository for fraud documents and memorabilia. Our goal is to collect, organize, maintain, preserve, and assist users with information about white collar crime and abuse. The collected data and materials should aid in the deterrence and detection of fraud and abuse. We are especially interested in forensic techniques and similar materials.
This fraud research depository is collecting evidence, entries, books, ledgers, stories, articles, schemes, aids for detection, photos and any other information about fraud and abuse. Essentially, we are seeking to preserve materials for historical purposes in order to deter and detect fraud and abuse which is estimated to be between $700 billion to $1 trillion in the U.S. each year. New fraud schemes and forensic techniques to stop white collar crime are welcomed. We especially encourage professors to video interviews with both the good and bad guys.
Email Dr. Crumbley with possible donations donald.crumbley@tamucc.edu
The Fraud Farm offers a speakers’ bureau called Crooks & Books. Both Dr. Crumbley and Aaron Beam are available to speak to groups and organizations about fraud and forensic accounting.
Dr. Crumbley, CPA, CFF, MAFF, CRFAC, FCPA, is editor of The Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting. Go to Crumbley’s resume.
Aaron Beam was one of the original founders of HealthSouth, retiring in 1997. The former HealthSouth CFO testified in the Richard Scrushy trial that Scrushy told him to fix the company’s financial results so that they matched the estimates of Wall Street analysts.
Contact Crumbley for more information. 979-696-1245.
6001 Thoroughbred Ridge
College Station, TX 77845
Aaron Beam's information is www.aaron.beam.net; 251-214-4654; 251-964-8014.
Periodically the Fraud Farm will announce certain fraud awards. We welcome suggests from companies and individuals.
The Piranha Award - Given to the person or group that has had a strong influence on detecting fraud, abuse, and corruption.
The Weasel Award - A negative award given to the person or group that has had an unfavorable influence on stopping fraud, abuse, and corruption.
The Anaconda Award - The company or group that takes significant proactive steps towards eliminating fraud, abuse, and corruption.
2018 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to the 12,000 whistleblowers who reported tax fraud to the IRS in 2017. Three trillion dollars are lost to tax evasion worldwide each year. The IRS has collected at least $3.6 billion in revenue from whistleblowers.
The Weasel Award goes to Chairman Lee Bentley Farkas of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker who was the leader of the conspiracy with Colonial Bank, resulting in at least a $2.9 billion fraud. The same award goes to PwC who assigned a college intern to audit the $589 million mortgage-backed securities.
The Anaconda Award goes to PwC for their "Pulling Fraud out of the Shadows," Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey.
2017 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to Oklahoma Senator James Lankford for his "Federal Fumbles," listing the 100 wasteful and inefficent federal spending actions/grants.
The Weasel Award goes to senior defense officials who suppressed a study which spotlighted at least $125 billion worth of administrative waste in the Pentagon. Likewise, the same award goes to VW [HoaxWagon] for their massive emisson fraud on diesel car owners by using software that cheated on emission tests.
The Anaconda Award goes to ACI Worldwide and Aite Group's 2016 global consumer card fraud: where large fraud is coming from, revealing that credit card fraud is rising worlwide.
2016 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to the FCPA Blog for its work to reduce bribes and kickbacks in the world.
The Weasel Award goes to Wells Fargo for their fraudulent marketing practices. Shame on the employees and executives.
The Anaconda Award goes to the CPA firm EY for their Global Fraud Survey 2016, Coporate Misconduct - Individual Consequences
2015 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to Kroll for their 2015-2016 Global Fraud Report, Vulnerabilities on the Rise.
The Weasel Award goes to Pharmaceutical Warner Chilcott who plead guilty and paid $125 million for paying kickbacks to doctors and other healthcare professionals.
The Anaconda Award goes to the Association for Financial Professionals for their 2015 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey.
2014 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to the Center for Audit Quality for their April 2014 release CAQ Approach to Audit Quality Indicators and their second annual Audit Committee Transparency Barometer.
The Weasel Award goes to Patrick J. Belzner, a home builder, for defrauding investors of $19.805 million and to Aubrey Lee Price (who faked his own death) for conning elderly investors and a bank out of at least $70 million.
The Anaconda Award goes to Ernst & Young for their 2014 13th Global Fraud Survey, revealing a consistent level of fraud, bribery, and corruption.
2012 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to Kyle Lagow, the whistleblower, whose lawsuit started an investigation that resulted in a $1 billion settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Bank of America over alleged mortgage fraud at Countrywide. Mr. Lagow did receive a $14.5 million award.
The Weasel Award goes to Rita Crundwell, the financial officer of the small town of Dixon, Illinois, who was accused of stealing $53 million from the city to run a nationally renowned horse breeding business.
The Anaconda Award goes to State Integrity for gathering data and issuing the state report card designed to expose practices that underline trust in state capitols. For example, Virginia, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Georgia ranked at the bottom.
2011 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to Cyber Source Corporation for their 2012 Online Fraud Report that outlines online payment fraud, merchant practices, and benchmarks.
The Weasel Award goes to former MF Global chief Jon Corzine (formal senator and governor of New Jersey) who apologized because of an estimated $1.2 billion missing funds resulting in the brokerage firm’s collapse. He said, “I simply do not know where the money is, or why the accountants have not been reconciled to date.”
The Anaconda Award goes to Irving Picard, Bernard Madoff’s trustee, for filing more than 1,000 lawsuits on behalf of formal Madoff customers (e.g. $354.9 million, $179.4 million, $ 122.2 million). His website, The Madoff Recovery Initiative, shows $9.133 billion recoveries and settlements and $332.6 million distributed from customer funds.
2010 Awards:
The Piranha Award goes to COSO, for the publication of Fraudulent Financial Reporting 1998-2007, by M.R. Beasley, J.V. Carcello, D.R. Hermanson, and T.L. Neal.
The Weasel Award goes to David Friehling, the accountant for Bernie Madoff. The feds accused him of rubber-stamping the $65 billion ponzi scheme.
The Anaconda Award goes to the AICPA who has developed an examination for CPAs to pass in order to receive the Certified in Financial Forensics.
