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CBA enforcement unit: nearly 3,800 complaints, unlicensed activity drives caseload
Summary
California Board of Accountancy enforcement staff reported nearly 3,800 complaints in the first nine months of fiscal 2024–25, with unlicensed activity the top complaint type. Staff closed more than 4,800 cases and reported high compliance on probation monitoring, while one long-running investigation remained active.
The California Board of Accountancy (CBA) received nearly 3,800 complaints in the first nine months of fiscal year 2024–25, and staff closed more than 4,800 investigation files in that period, Enforcement Chief Carrie O'Connor told the Enforcement Advisory Committee on May 1.
“The activity report before members today is for the first 9 months of fiscal year 20 24 25. The CBA received nearly 3,800 complaints,” O'Connor said. She reported that 99% of closed cases were closed within one year and that the average days to close an investigation was 92 days.
The report showed unlicensed activity as the most common complaint type. Enforcement had just under 700 pending investigations at the end of the reporting period and identified one active case open longer than 24 months. O'Connor said the CBA referred 26 matters to the Attorney General's office, filed 28 pleadings and had 32 matters pending at the AG's office. The board took action in 20 final disciplinary orders during the reporting period.
Citations were another major category: the CBA issued just over 1,600 citations in the period, and 94% of those cited failures involved continuing education requirements. Staff received 197 citation fine appeals and withdrew or modified just over 100 citations after appellants provided mitigating evidence or complied with the underlying requirement.
Unlicensed-activity complaints numbered just over 1,700 and staff closed more than 2,000 unlicensed-activity investigations in the same period.
On probation monitoring, O'Connor reported that as of March 31 the CBA had 52 licensees on probation with one new probationer since the prior report. Staff identified 20 probation violations, primarily for failure to submit required written quarterly reports.
Committee members asked about the consequences for probation noncompliance. O'Connor replied that if a probationer fails to comply, “we could file a petition to revoke probation and carry out the disciplinary order, which could be revocation of the license.”
The enforcement report was presented as informational; no board-level policy changes were proposed in this item. The committee invited questions from members and the public; no members of the public participated in person or online during the item.
Ending: The CBA's enforcement unit is continuing active investigations and tracking appeals and citations; committee members heard the report and did not vote on further action.
