Fraud and Forensic Accounting Education Conference Scheduled

ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwire - April 29, 2009) - 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 Information: Contact: Terri Thornton 404-932-4347