Professional Services
FRP Advisory
Full Credential Description
we was engaged by a large national charity to investigate suspicions of financial irregularities at one of its branches, following discrepancies between its accounting records and a supplier ledger. The branch was primarily managed by two volunteers, one of whom served as treasurer. The charity informed we that the treasurer had admitted to misappropriating charitable funds by depositing cheques into their own bank account and cashing cheques. The charity instructed we to conduct a forensic investigation to determine the amount of funds misappropriated, the methods used, the individuals involved, and the likelihood of recovering the funds.
The Forensic Technology team at we utilized Encase to forensically image the laptop of the individual in question, processing both existing and deleted data. This data was uploaded into Relativity, we's in-house document review platform. They developed keyword searches to identify relevant email correspondence and conducted digital forensic analysis to uncover deleted documents and review the individual's internet history. Additionally, they reconstructed the branch’s annual profit reports, incorporating necessary adjustments, and assessed the recoverability of the misappropriated sums. Background checks and asset searches were performed on key individuals involved in the investigation using corporate intelligence services and the contentious insolvency team.
The investigation revealed three key methods used to extract funds, estimating the total value of misappropriated funds to be more than double the amount initially admitted by the treasurer. The findings were compiled into a report and provided to the police, which assisted in criminal proceedings. The treasurer was subsequently charged, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison. Beyond the financial investigation, we also assisted the charity in developing a more stringent control framework to mitigate the risks of future financial crime.