Acting Sheriff Barbara Deeley has announced that she has hired an accounting firm to review financial accounts. Here's the release:
For Immediate Release
January 13, 2011
Philadelphia Sheriff Barbara Deeley today announced the selection of nationally renowned forensic accounting and consulting firm Nihill & Riedley, PC to begin an immediate review of all financial accounts.
Jim Smart, CEO of Nihill & Riedley, said, "we look forward to helping the Sheriff's Office run as efficiently as possible."
Deeley said: "In the wake of City Controller Butkovitz' 2010, report, confidence in the Sheriff's Office has been shaken. I intend to restore this confidence by providing our citizens with a Sheriff's Office capable of accounting for every dollar it oversees. Today we begin to make that goal a reality by bringing in some of the best people in the field with one clear mission: account for every dollar sitting in every account."
Deeley concluded: "As we move to get to the bottom of these accounts, we must also move to build internal controls and systems that ensure financial accountability. I have tasked Nihill & Riedley to provide recommendations for building these controls and systems and work with Joe Vignola, Chief Deputy Sheriff of Finance & Accountability to see that they are implemented."
Ricardo Zayas, CPA, Principal and former Federal Special Investigator, said," Nihill & Riedley is a Philadelphia firm with a national reputation for handling the most intricate and sensitive accounting work for both governmental and private corporations alike. We look forward to working with Sheriff Deeley and her staff to work through the issues raised by City Controller Butkovitz' 2010 audit. As we move through these concerns, we will assist the Sheriff's Office to build internal controls and financial systems that will be a model for Sheriffs' offices around the country."