Whistleblowers are essential to discovering fraud. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, more than 40 percent of frauds are discovered by a tip or whistleblower. In this episode, Caleb and Greg talk to one for the first time on Oh My Fraud. Anthony Menendez, “The Accountant Who Beat Halliburton,” recounts his saga as a whistleblower, and shares the many lessons he learned along his journey.

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Chapters

• (00:00) - Welcome to Oh My Fraud
• (01:21) - The Halliburton Episode: A Prelude
• (02:54) - Meet Tony Menendez: The Accountant Who Took on Halliburton
• (04:27) - Tony's Early Life and Unexpected Path to Accounting
• (09:22) - The Sarbanes-Oxley Era and Its Impact on Tony's Career
• (11:21) - Tony's Transition to Halliburton and Initial Skepticism
• (23:52) - Uncovering Accounting Irregularities at Halliburton
• (29:20) - The Bill and Hold Controversy Explained
• (37:14) - Raising Concerns and the Fallouts
• (41:36) - The Fallout: Navigating Corporate Politics and Email Warnings
• (46:37) - The SEC Steps In: A Whistleblower's Hope and Disappointment
• (01:06:00) - The Fight for Whistleblower Rights: A Personal Battle
• (01:11:25) - The Verdict: A Crushing Blow to Whistleblower Protections
• (01:16:37) - Taking Matters into His Own Hands: The Appeal Process
• (01:18:27) - A Glimmer of Hope: Winning the Appeal
• (01:20:34) - Back to Square One: The Lower Court's Stubborn Stance
• (01:23:46) - A Final Victory? The Appeals Court's Decision
• (01:29:25) - The Aftermath: Life After Whistleblowing
• (01:34:12) - A New Chapter: From Whistleblower to Professor
• (01:37:23) - Thanks for Listening and Remember to Rate & Subscribe

CONNECT WITH TONY

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyjmenendez
LMU - https://cba.lmu.edu/academics//faculty/anthony.menendez

HOW TO EARN FREE CPE

In less than 10 minutes, you can earn 1 hour of NASBA-approved accounting CPE after listening to this episode. Download our mobile app, sign up, and look for the Oh My Fraud channel. Register for the course, complete a short quiz, and get your CPE certificate.

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CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS

Greg Kyte, CPA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregkyte
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkyte/

Caleb Newquist
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnewquist
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebnewquist/

Email us at ohmyfraud@earmarkcpe.com
References:
The Whistleblower’s Tale: How An Accountant Took on Halliburton [ProPublica]

He fought Halliburton and won [Fraud Magazine]

I am a Halliburton Whistleblower. I fought them for 9 years and (eventually) won. Ask Me Anything. [Reddit]

Anthony J. Menendez [LinkedIn]

Anthony Menendez [Loyola Marymount University]