Fraud and Forensic Accounting Education Conference Scheduled

ATLANTA, GA, Apr 29 (MARKET WIRE) --
Experts on some of the nation's biggest accounting frauds will keynote
the upcoming Third Annual Fraud and Forensic Accounting Education
Conference in Atlanta. Speakers will include Luis Aguilar, who serves on
the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Assistant US Attorney
Barbara Nelan; and former HealthSouth CFO, and convicted felon, Aaron
Beam. The event is designed to provide valuable information regarding
fraud detection, investigation and prevention.

Commissioner Aguilar will address the SEC's role as a market watchdog,
while Ms. Nelan will discuss the federal prosecution of mortgage fraud
nationwide. Mr. Beam will disclose how five CFOs "cooked the books" at
HealthSouth, leading to one of many highly publicized accounting scandals.
Approximately 20 breakout sessions will be available for participants,
including Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme, detecting overstated earnings,
understanding financial institution fraud, demystifying IT controls, and
cracking down on terrorism financing and money laundering. Participants
can earn up to 20 CPE hours from presentations by nationally known
speakers. The agenda is available online at
www.pkm.com/fraudconference/speakers.php.

Porter Keadle Moore, LLP (PKM), a full service accounting and consulting
firm, and Georgia Southern University's Center for Forensic Studies in
Accounting and Business are co-sponsoring the conference to be held at
the JW Marriott Buckhead in Atlanta on May 28-30, 2009. Attendees will
include accountants, attorneys, investigators, educators and students
hoping to augment or refine their fraud examination and forensic
accounting skills.

"It is imperative that businesses be more diligent than ever in their
efforts to avoid and identify all forms of fraud, meaning that they remain
as informed and knowledgeable as possible through assemblies such as this
conference," said Don Berecz, CPA, CFE, Director and Instructor in Georgia
Southern's 10-course undergraduate and graduate level programs in Fraud
Examination and Forensic Accounting.

"An economic downturn creates a 'busy season' for forensic accountants as
previously undetected fraud schemes rise to the surface," says Thomas
Buckhoff, Ph.D., CPA, CFE, CFF, and Associate Professor of Accounting at
Georgia Southern University. "At the height of such an unstable economy,
without the educational efforts this conference provides, fraud and white
collar crime that goes unchecked could have significant consequences on
consumers and the corporate environment."

"Sound internal controls over financial reporting are very important, but
businesses must also take a hard look at how their information systems
make them vulnerable to fraud," adds Mike Morris, CISA and Systems
Principal at PKM, who will present the session on IT controls.

For more information on this conference, or to register, visit
www.pkm.com/fraudconference/information.php

About PKM

PKM is one of the largest firms in Atlanta with eleven partners, more than
100 total staff and more than $13 million in annual revenues. The
nationally recognized, full-service accounting and consulting firm
provides audit, tax and systems services to clients throughout the
country. The firm was founded in 1977 and focuses its efforts on serving
companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
It specializes in banking, insurance, real estate and construction, and
technology and life sciences. For more information, visit www.pkm.com or
call 404-588-4200.

About Fraud and Forensic Accounting at Georgia Southern University

Located in Statesboro, Georgia, The College of Business and the School of
Accountancy both have undergraduate and graduate level accreditation
through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only
30% of all U.S. colleges of business have this accreditation, and only
10% also have separate accreditation for their Schools of Accountancy.
This accreditation provides external validation of the high quality
educational programs offered. For more information about degree programs
and previous conferences, visit http://coba.georgiasouthern.edu/forensic/
or call (912)478-2228.

Contact:
Terri Thornton
404-932-4347
Email Contact

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