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Kansas Board of Accountancy approves multiple consent orders, fines and censures
Summary
At its Dec. 6, 2019 meeting in Topeka the Kansas Board of Accountancy approved a series of stipulations and consent orders resolving investigations that found several licensees and firms had practiced without required permits or failed to meet professional standards. Fines, censures, conditional registrations and a protective order for peer-review materials were among the outcomes.
The Kansas Board of Accountancy on Dec. 6 approved multiple stipulations and consent orders resolving investigations that, in several cases, found licensed CPAs and firm registrants had practiced without a valid Kansas permit or failed to meet professional standards.
Vice-Chair Sean P. Weaver presided over the meeting. The Board voted to accept stipulations imposing fines, costs and censure for a range of respondents. The orders required monetary penalties ranging from $250 (firm) to $2,000 (individual), assessment of costs including attorney and court reporter fees, and in some matters conditions for continued practice or registration.
Key outcomes included: Byron F. Benson was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine plus costs and was censured after the Board concluded he practiced without a valid permit; Derek A. Dowell received a $500 fine (individual), a $250 firm fine, censure, and his permit renewal was approved; Arthetta Faye Long received a $1,000 fine and censure for failing to maintain renewal requirements (the Board noted prior discipline); Kevin S. McGrew and Wealth Management Advisors, Inc. were required to pay $1,500 each, change the firm name to comply with Kansas law by Dec. 31, 2019, and had firm registration approved; Don A. Peter was assessed $500, required to complete 10 hours of continuing education under K.A.R. 74-4-7(f), and his permit renewal was approved; Neil Bleish was assessed $500 and censured with permit renewal approved; Andrew J. Hinrichs and Hinrichs+Pesavento, LLC were assessed $2,000 (individual) and $1,000 (firm), required to complete the NASBA CPT Ethics Examination, censured, and had his permit renewal approved; Jarret & Norton, CPAs, LLC was restricted from offering Employee Benefit Plan audit services without prior written Board permission, assessed costs and censured; Stephen J. O’Beirne was fined $500, censured and approved for a Kansas certificate and initial permit; and Leslie June Wilson and her firm were fined $1,000 (individual) and $500 (firm), censured and had firm registration approved.
In one contested matter, the Board declined to approve the proposed stipulation for Caroline Marie Bourquin after closed-session deliberations and instructed the Chair to put a letter in the file noting that her scores would not be voided.
The Board also moved to issue a protective order under K.S.A. 1-501(h) to keep peer-review results and contents closed from public agency records.
Where noted in the minutes, investigators recused themselves from matters in which they had a conflict; several votes were recorded as "the motion carried" with particular members not participating due to recusal. The minutes show motions, seconds and carried votes for each described action but do not supply individual yes/no roll-call tallies for most items.
Next steps: the Board adjourned after completing business. Per the minutes, respondents required to change firm names or complete ethics or continuing education requirements must comply with the terms and deadlines set in the individual consent orders.
