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NIU fraud expert: what to watch for in the workplace

NIU Professor David Sinason
NIU Professor David Sinason
  • ... plus a link on the benefits of hindsight

It’s been a week since Dixon’s comptroller was arrested and charged with misappropriating 3.2 million dollars from the city since last fall. A federal complaint also accuses Rita Crundwell of stealing more than 30-million since 2006. One Northern Illinois University accountancy professor says there’s a lot the city could have done to prevent the alleged theft. 

David Sinason is also a Certified Fraud Examiner. WNIJ’s Susan Stephens asked him the one question everyone has been asking all week: how does a city the size of Dixon not notice that 30-million dollars was missing?

Track 1: interview with David Sinason 14:00 Track 2: Sinason: America loves its fraudsters! 2:40 Track3: Sinason: CSI – Accounting and where the hot jobs are. 4:00

Professor David Sinason talks about the Rita Crundwell case and some of the simple ways governments and corporations can keep a leash on their employees. Those include tell-tale signs such as employees with lifestyles clearly beyond their means (think Porsches in your work parking lot and, oh, horse farms), people who talk about gambling, changes in demeanor (Stress! Paranoia!), and employees who avoid vacations. Sinason points out that “fraud is hard work!”

Sauk Valley Media reporter David Giuliani covers Lee County government, among other beats. He took a look at minutes of past Dixon City Council meetings in search of answers to the big question: How could this situation have  been missed? Read his column by clicking here.

Susan is an award-winning reporter/writer at her favorite radio station. She's also WNIJ's Perspectives editor, Under Rocks contributor, and local host of All Things Considered.
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