const EEA_REGION_COUNTRY_CODES = ['AT', 'BE', 'BG', 'HR', 'CY', 'CZ', 'DK', 'EE', 'FI', 'FR', 'DE', 'GR', 'HU', 'IS', 'IE', 'IT', 'LV', 'LI', 'LT', 'LU', 'MT', 'NL', 'NO', 'PL', 'PT', 'RO', 'SK', 'SI', 'ES', 'SE', 'CH', 'TR', 'GB']; const OneTrustCategories = { script.setAttribute("onload", "setAdblockerCookie(false);"); var s = document.createElement("script"), el = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; (function(){ mps._adsheld.push(adunit) You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, Login Here. console.log('PUB-GDPR-CHECK'); Several accountants and one attorney became concerned enough to approach senior management about ALOs deficit. The BFA carried out a number of illegal activities in perpetrating affinity fraud against Southern Baptist worshipers in Arizona. real estate properties were ALO and New Church Ventures. Superior Ct. Maricopa County, CV 2002-005117. lawsuit for $217 million. Buckner also used Anderson and turned the information over to the firm. Site by Mere. The largest bankruptcy of a non-profit in history, the BFA, like Enron, allegedly hid losses. Learning its principal note issuer was ALO, she checked public records and found its unaudited balance sheet listed liabilities of $109.7 million and assets at minus $6.9 million. statements for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2002, and earlier MVPNs were "fraudulently represented as one which could be redeemed at any time, although with an interest penalty. 5 Costly Cases of Church Fraud - PSK CPA Meanwhile in Phoenix, another trial with many similarities quietly entered its 17th week. The Baptist Foundation of California. If you continue to experience issues, contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com. Investors in the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, which went belly-up in 1999 in the largest nonprofit bankruptcy in history, are suing Arthur Andersen, the foundation's auditors, for covering up the fact that the foundation was a fraud. The CPA Journal. 'cag[type_cnbcteam]' : 'CNBC US Team' , positive results. than $20 million per year for several years. Istoria Ministries Article Archive: Southern Baptists Who Break the Law ALO in turn sold the stock to New Church Ventures, in exchange for a $1.6 million reduction in ALOs credit line owed to New Church Ventures. Nevertheless, }; (function() { //begin OneTrust Redirect {"@context": "https://schema.org","@type": "WebPage","url": "https://www.cnbc.com/id/100000099","keywords": ["CNBC TV","Primetime Shows 2","American Greed","source:tagname:CNBC US Source"]} script.setAttribute("src", "//www.npttech.com/advertising.js"); } Donald Dale Deardorff, Senior Vice President and Controller, was sentenced to four years in prison and a fine of $150 million (equivalent to $196 million in 2021). The BFA was not interested in making this purchase. const matches = oneTrustCookie.match(COOKIE_REGEX); 'cag[related_primary]' : '' , The BFA became dependent upon future investors to pay older investors and loan interest. credible tips or complaints are received about management fraud, auditors document.cookie = "__adblocker=" + (adblocker ? Convention required BFA to be a profitable, self-sustaining independent entity. recently issued SAS 99, Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Two years earlier, the Baptist Foundation of Arizona also failed, wiping out savings of 11,000 investors that had $570 million in the fund. a sobering reminder to auditors that it is important to understand the causes head = document.head || document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0], mpsload = document.createElement("script"); In a short time, it had created a complicated web of dozens of interlocking non-profit and for-profit subsidiaries to operate its real-estate and other investment deals. A smaller-but-similar scandal hit Baptists in the 1990s, when 11,000 investors in the Baptist Foundation of Arizona fell victim to a $550 million Ponzi scheme. Among Southern Baptists in Arizona and the neighboring states, where many of the investors live, the impact of the case may be more direct. Looking for your Investment Portal? 'cag[attribution_source]' : 'CNBC US Source' , owed BFA significant amounts of notes receivables. Arizona Baptist Foundation victims still recovering | Cronkite News The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Andersens conviction in 2005, but it is unlikely the nearly defunct company will ever recover as a respected business. Oct. 11, 1999 BFA announces it is close to finalizing the restructuring plan that will be communicated to investors later in the month. network allows javascript and allows content to be delivered from v144.philanthropy.com and chronicle.blueconic.net. Redirecting. Sept. 20, 1999 Pastor Richard A. Kimsey amends his lawsuit against BFA to include the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention and Steve Bass, executive director treasurer of the conventions Executive Board. function getOneTrustCookie() { Over lunch in February 1997 with an auditor from Arthur Andersen LLP, a recently resigned accountant from the Baptist Foundation of Arizona had disturbing things to say about her former employer's investment practices. between the foundation and these corporations were designed to achieve the Baptist Foundation of SC STAFF At the time of BFAs bankruptcy, Inadequate disclosure of losses on notes receivables due . the firm should have issued either a qualified or an adverse opinion on the PC Phone Home that audit public companies, in todays environment it is more important Audit. mps.cloneAd = function() { return false; } Improving and strengthening fraud detection is at the heart .split(',') SAS 99 is effective for audits of financial if (typeof(window._mpspixZ) != 'string') { However, The Reverend Ed Shaw suggested that the BFA "Explain the situation completely to investors; ask their forgiveness; let them know their gift of principal would help if they choose to give some or all of it. The suits against Andersen alleged that the foundation had become a Ponzi scheme, needing to raise tens of millions of dollars to pay the high returns it had promised to earlier investors., The Journal noted that, according to the lawsuits, a key reason why the scheme lasted as long as it did was that Andersen continued to certify the foundations financial statements and dismissed multiple warnings by individuals that the foundation was defrauding investors. 30. Crotts and Grabinski could face six to 23 years for each count. Aug. 30, 1999 Pastor Richard A. Kimsey and his wife file a lawsuit charging the BFA with running an investment sales Ponzi scheme. Baptist Foundation of Arizona WorldCom Enron Sunbeam scandal Andersen knew of the bill-and-hold schemes Waste Management Scandal Avoided depreciation expenses, Andersen knew about it and received bribes for issuing clean audit opinions. PHOENIX Two former executives with the Baptist Foundation of Arizona were sentenced to prison Friday and ordered to repay millions for defrauding thousands of investors in a botched. An investigation being conducted by Arizonas Attorney Generals office and the states Corporation Commission has already revealed that the foundation used bogus transactions and accounting tricks to hide financial losses and mislead potential investors. Baptist Foundation of Arizona was the largest non-profit in U.S. history. 'type' : 'mobile: episode' , It eventually grew into an independent nonprofit organization that sold individual retirement accounts and other investments. The Foundation Speaks | News | Phoenix | Phoenix New Times | The '); regardless of past experience with the entity or prior beliefs about managements American Greed: Religious Prey: Baptist Foundation of Arizona - CNBC Who We Are; The Team . Novak contended that Andersen and its insurance company are two separate entities, The Republic reported, while Napolitano depicted the two as one and the same and thus Andersen in actuality is reneging on the settlement. manager on the BFA audit lost their CPA licenses to practice and a third CPA baptist foundation of arizona scandal - gerstenfield.com 'template' : 'special_reports' , SAS 99 Sept. 10, 1999 BFA lays off 72 employees and closes offices in Youngtown and Tucson. Investors who choose to roll their money into securities may be risking even bigger losses. This page contains information The Cult Education Institute has gathered. Money & Investing. In a typical year-end flurry of transactions to help BFA show a profit, Santa Fe Trails Ranch II was transferred from Select Trading Group to ALO on Dec. 26, 1995. (function(){var g=function(e,h,f,g){this.get=function(a){for(var a=a+"=",c=document.cookie.split(";"),b=0,e=c.length;b=e/100?0:100),a=[h,e,0],this.set(f,a.join(":"));else return!0;var c=a[1];if(100==c)return!0;switch(a[0]){case "v":return!1;case "r":return c=a[2]%Math.floor(100/c),a[2]++,this.set(f,a.join(":")),!c}return!0};this.go=function(){if(this.check()){var a=document.createElement("script");a.type="text/javascript";a.src=g+ "&t=" + (new Date()).getTime();document.body&&document.body.appendChild(a)}};this.start=function(){var a=this;window.addEventListener?window.addEventListener("load",function(){a.go()},!1):window.attachEvent&&window.attachEvent("onload",function(){a.go()})}};try{(new g(100,"r","QSI_S_ZN_3NNZu19yzvgN7tr","//zn3nnzu19yzvgn7tr-nysscpa.siteintercept.qualtrics.com/WRSiteInterceptEngine/?Q_ZID=ZN_3NNZu19yzvgN7tr&Q_LOC="+encodeURIComponent(window.location.href))).start()}catch(i){}})(); Inadequate disclosure regarding ALO and New Church Ventures var pixelurl = ((document.location.protocol === 'https') ? The BFA was associated with the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention, which was affiliated with the national organization. Managing editor at EthicsDaily.com from 2003-2009, Allen wrote more than 1,500 news stories during his tenure. The BFA was a church-affiliated charity, one that preyed on the members of its own congregation and operated for years before church fraud detection put a stop to it. The subsidiary then used that money to purchase the loans from the parent company. } Management responded to the new environment by structuring accounting transactions Robert H. Colson, PhD, CPA When the foundation was closed by the Arizona attorney general's office, it owed $570 million to investors and had assets worth an estimated $220 million. With what are they going to make donations?. BFA informed Arizona Southern Baptist pastors of the financial crisis at a retreat held last weekend at the Wigwam Resort. Baptist Foundation of Arizona (Southern Baptist charity) BFA: Books for Africa (St. Paul, MN) BFA: Body Fat Analysis (biology) BFA: British Fantasy Award (British Fantasy Society; UK) BFA: Baseball for All (various locations) BFA: Botswana Football Association (Botswana) BFA: Blank Firing Attachment: BFA: Benefit Fraud Assessment: BFA July 2, 1998 December 10, 1998 Arizona Corporation Commission begins an investigation of BFA based on the Phoenix NewTimes reports. for ALO and New Church Ventures, but management refused to release the statements. A Church Divided: Sex Worker Scandal Exposes Fault Lines in Anti-LGBTQ if (cStart !== -1) { Instead, they referred the individual to former BFA Director, Jalma Hunsinger, who then purchased the property for US$1. Hundreds Accuse Independent Baptist Pastors of Abuse - News & Reporting Market data provided by Factset. var CNBC_Premium = CNBC_Premium || {}; 'pubdate' : '1343999322' , Star Stacy Keach (voice) See production, box office & company info Add to Watchlist Photos console.log('PUB-GDPR-CHECK oneTrustCookie matches: ', matches); })(); 10 Major Accounting Scandals That Caught the Public's Eye: What Do They } was used to pay interest on old money. same time, it accelerated its efforts to sell IRA-type retirement investment mps._urlContainsEmail = function() { The Baptist Foundation of Arizona - A Case of Proper Fund Accounting Ignored and Manipulated Another major accounting scandal, and prelude to Andersen Accounting's participation in Enron's anomalous deals, was the illegal securities trading committed by the Baptist Foundation of Arizona (BFA). The foundations bankruptcy marks one of the biggest financial collapses ever by a charity. Reglious Prey: Baptist Foundation of Arizona - CNBC Things are moving quickly now in the sex scandal involving the three oldest sons of Steven Anderson of Tempe, Arizona's favorite SPLC hate group Faithful Word Baptist Church. The fund is $590 million in debt, far outstripping the $158 million Jim and Tammy Bakker bankruptcy scandal--and regulators believe it is among the nation's largest cases of "affinity fraud,". These. Its bankruptcy late in 2001 caused about 4,000 employees to lose their jobs, while stock losses wiped out their retirement savings and prompted many business reforms. The Bear Foundation's contributions to local nonprofits easily number in the tens of millions, and include a $4.5 million contribution to a new Baptist Health Care health center at Brent Lane and . Its initial mission was to raise donations and support relationships, transactions, and balances (SFAS 57. return false; First, it was critical for BFA to meet the Treasury regulations But a jury found them innocent on 23 counts of theft, saying they didn't intend to steal from investors but got in over their heads and tried to cover it up. It's 5 a.m. and Anna Mezzapelle Cacace, 85, is getting ready for another day at work as a licensed insurance broker for UnitedHealthcare, selling Medicare and Medicaid supplementary benefits. return false; It expects that its preferred stock will start paying annual dividends of 6 per cent by 2002. }); This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. // execute [10][11] In February 2004, the jury in the Arizona Superior Court civil trial found in favor of Grabinski, with the Court ordering National Union to pay Grabinski $2.5 million (equivalent to $3.6 million in 2021). Five other defendants pleaded guilty to fraud or other charges and agreed to pay fines, Goddard said. mpsload.src = "//" + mpsopts.host + "/fetch/ext/load-" + mpscall.site + ".js?nowrite=2"; We are unable to fully display the content of this page. Nov. 7, 1999 BFA unveils a restructuring plan that would give investors the choice of a cash-out option worth 20 cents on the dollar or shares in a newly created for-profit company. of Arizona (BFA) engaged in one of the most audacious fraud schemes on record. In 1998 Deeann Greibel, a financial planner and CPA in Mesa, Ariz., looked into BFA finances on behalf of a client and found it was heavily underwritten with IOUs. Investors who agree to receive any money recovered in such litigation must give up their rights to pursue other legal action against the foundation, such as joining the two class-action lawsuits that have already been filed against the foundation and its affiliates. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa. United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Religious Prey: Baptist Foundation Of Arizona / Medical Scams: Dr. Mikos, "Elderly couple pays dearly for Baptist fund's trouble", "In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Wholly Owned Subsidiary", "Baptist Foundation of Arizona's Financial Collapse", "Terry Goddard Applauds Verdicts in Baptist Foundation Trial", "Grabinski v. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, CV 04-01751-PHX-MHM, D. Az", "Final 5 Ariz. Foundation Defendants Sentenced", "Victims of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona | SENTENCES IMPOSED", "BFA Liquidation Trust v. Arthur Andersen, LLP", "Arthur Andersen Reaches Deal (Again) with Baptist Foundation of Arizona Investors", "Religious Prey: Baptist Foundation Of Arizona / Medical Scams: Dr. Mikos", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Baptist_Foundation_of_Arizona&oldid=1137812926, Christian organizations established in 1948, Baptist organizations in the United States, Baptist denominations established in the 20th century, Articles lacking reliable references from May 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 16:04. 'cag[attribution_author]' : 'Stacy Keach' , The Mirage But sometimes in the. A Matter Of Lost Souls And Savings - Newsweek Surname 1 Student's Name Professor's Name Course Date Financial Fraud Question I The litigation some red flag warnings that fraud was occurring, led to the Andersen settlement. The Baptist Foundation of Arizona (BFA) was a Southern Baptist charity, which executed an affinity fraud on unwitting worshippers in the Southern Baptist community in Arizona, leading to the largest collapse of a religious financial institution in U.S. history. While the recently enacted Sarbanes-Oxley Act may only directly impact auditors STRICTLY_NECESSARY: 1, Aug. 27, 1999 A class action lawsuit filed by investor Franklin Kestner Sr. charges the BFA bilked investors by funneling their money into projects that resulted in personal gain and profit for BFA officers. In BFA's early days, it focused its attention on funding church start-ups and providing aid for children and the elderly. (a) The transfer or acquisition of the controlling interest oc-curred within a taxable transfer period. More information may be obtained by contacting the Foundation at 10255 Old Columbia Rd., Columbia MD, 21046, or by contacting Tom Stolle at (800) 466-5290, ext. Baptist Foundation execs found guilty of fraud - East Valley Tribune PHOENIX - Two former executives of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, which collapsed in what has been called the largest nonprofit bankruptcy filing in the nation's history, have been. d.setTime(d.getTime() + 60 * 60 * 24 * 30 * 1000); Watch how the . Andersen blamed WorldCom for the scandal, insisting that the . "[6] Elder law attorney Leas wondered why BFA would sell the elderly, "an investment that would tie up more than two-thirds of their non-residential assets in an investment that would be unavailable for five years! 'cag[device]' : 'mobile-touch' , 15-Year-Old Allegedly Raped, Then Forced to Confess to Church