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Best Buy Swindled Out of $31 Million

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ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY (NY)

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Best Buy Swindled Out of $31 Million

Internal Control Issues

Joseph Chung

Professor Jay Ranade

ACC 628 Internal Auditing

Overview of the Case

An Illinois couple allegedly swindled computer giant Best Buy Inc. out of $31 million dollars over the duration of four years (2003-2007). Russell Cole and his wife Abby was allegedly accused of masterminding a multi-million dollar online bid-rigging scheme along with former Best Buy employee Robert Paul Bossany, who pleaded himself guilty in February 2009 to 29 counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. Investigators found that the Coles had reported $15.5 million dollars in income from 2003-2007, with $14.2 million suspected to be in connection with the fraud. The Chicago Tribune said that Russell Cole called his $2.75 million dollar home in Deerfield, IL "the house that Best Buy built," but was under scrutiny by investigators who claim that the money was obtained through fraud. The Coles lavish lifestyle also included owning a Ferrari coupe, a Lamborghini convertible and nine other luxury/high performance vehicles with a total worth of about $2.8 million dollars that was confiscated by authorities. The Coles' attorney told the Chicago Tribune that the Coles' "did not engage in a fraud against Best Buy...We intend, at this point, to present evidence to the contrary if they've ever charged." As for Bossany, he cooperated fully with authorities in exchange for a recommendation of leniency from authorities.

In December of 2010, Russell Cole was sentenced to 15 years in prison on fraud and tax evasion charges, his wife Abby was sentenced to three years probation after investigators concluded that she didn't know about her husband's scam and their children needed a parent to look after them.

What was the Swindle?

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