Coverage Opportunity: IRS Fraud Conference

Cocaine dealers, embezzlers, bar owners who keep two sets of books, and other tax cheats — these are the kinds of shady characters agents from the Internal Revenue Service will be at Grand Valley State University to track down on February 23. 

Fortunately, it will all be a simulation. The Student Fraud Conference is aimed at giving university business students a look at the inner workings of a fraud investigation through the eyes of an IRS Special Agent and presenting forensic career opportunities to students with an accounting degree. The conference allows them to solve hypothetical financial crimes. The coordinator of the event from the IRS side this time around is William Smith, Supervisory Special Agent for the Grand Rapids Post. Smith teaches GVSU's graduate-level forensic accounting course for us.

"This conference provides a unique opportunity for our students to see that their accounting education is relevant to a wide variety of careers," said David Cannon, assistant professor of accounting at Grand Valley.

Working in teams of five, students will set out to investigate and solve cases in four hours that typically take the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigators 18 months to unravel. Some of the hypothetical investigations involve business owners skimming funds from their company, a bar owner who keeps two sets of books, a multi-filer tax scheme and a drug trafficker.

Each group of students works with an experienced IRS special agent or retiree who offers coaching and tips during the exercise. The investigations may start with an anonymous informant, a meeting with local law enforcement or a bag of garbage. They select their next step in gathering evidence — usually taking them to potential witnesses, played by IRS special agents, certified public accountants and other volunteers. The students use the tools available to federal law enforcement officers, including use of surveillance, subpoena, and search warrants. At the end of their scenarios, the students meet as a group to discuss their investigation, while receiving an evaluation from their coaches.

The IRS's Criminal Investigation Division in Michigan, the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants and Grand Valley's Seidman College of Business will participate in the conference. In addition to GVSU accounting students, students participating from Calvin and Hope colleges and several GVSU Criminal Justice students will also take part.

MEDIA NOTE: The conference will be Friday, February 23 in the DeVos Center on Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus. Media coverage of the conference is welcomed and encouraged. The simulation starts on Friday at noon in room 138E, and at 1 p.m., most of the students will be located in area 125C. Media are welcome anytime from noon until 5 p.m. Stephen Moore from the IRS Criminal Investigation's Public Information Office will escort the media during the exercise. His pager number is: (888) 226-2380. Students and IRS officials will be available for interviews. IRS Criminal Investigation does not allow certain agents to be photographed. The conference is part of a nationwide program called the Adrian Project.

• Brian J. Bowe, Grand Valley State University — (616) 331-2221 or [email protected]
• Stephen Moore — office: (313) 234-2410; pager: (888) 226-2380; e-mail: [email protected]