New Release from Tiffany Couch, Acuity Group LLC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tiffany Couch, CPA/CFF, CFE
360.573.5158 – Preferred
Acuity Group Releases Sixth Expenditure Analysis Report Detailing Accounting-Related Discrepancies with Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Finances
Expert forensic accountant’s report reveals costs of interchanges are being shifted to cost of interstate bridge – affecting amount necessary for toll collection
VANCOUVER, Wash. (April 8, 2013) – Forensic accounting expert, Tiffany Couch, CPA/CFF, CFE, of the Northwest-based Acuity Group, today released a sixth report detailing discrepancies related to cost allocations of the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project. The first five reports are available at http://www.acuityforensics.com/subs/press.html. This report focuses on discrepancies between the CRC project’s detailed budgeted costs and statements and documents provided to decision makers.
The six reports are the result of Couch’s ongoing investigation into the CRC’s expenditure of public funds. This report includes an analysis the project’s detailed budget. The budget indicates costs for Washington and Oregon interchanges are hundreds of millions of dollars more than the amounts being reported to decision makers. The budget also indicates the cost to rebuild the interstate bridge is hundreds of millions of dollars less than the amounts being reported. As a result, it appears that the shifting of interchange costs to the interstate bridge increases the burden of costs to toll payers.
Couch releases her reports to select media outlets throughout Oregon and Washington, elected officials and concerned citizens. Many of Couch’s comments on the topic are discussion points related to the transparency and accountability of the CRC project. Couch is on record as recommending that additional investigations at the local, state and federal level are warranted and lists names of agencies whose regulations have been potentially violated.
“As a certified forensic accountant, I’m hired by my clients as an objective consultant to provide clarity about complex financial related data,” said Couch. “I report on factual evidence to verify whether claims being made can be supported or refuted.”
Couch was retained in April 2011 by a private citizen to conduct an analysis of accounting documents and to provide clarity on the expenditures of the CRC project. The investigation and reports are also subsidized by a pro-bono commitment by Acuity Group.
Couch, a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner has more than 15 years of experience in the field of accounting. As a forensic accountant she has conducted work for a variety of Oregon and Washington entities and numerous law firms and private businesses throughout the United States. She is a nationally recognized expert and speaker in the field of forensic accounting.
Details at http://www.acuityforensics.com/downloads/Tiffany_Couch_CV.pdf.
The five previous reports are available at http://www.acuityforensics.com/subs/press.html.
About Acuity Group
Acuity Group, PLLC is a forensic accounting firm based in the Pacific Northwest that specializes in fraud investigation, financial litigation support and forensic accounting.
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Tiffany R. Couch, CPA/CFF, CFE
Principal
ACUITY GROUP PLLC
Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting
P: 360.573.5158
M: 360.601.4151
‘Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” – Peter Drucker
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