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Exception Tracking Spreadsheet (TicklerTrax™)
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SEC charges former officers of Florida company

The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced it has charged the former CEO and CFO of FTE Networks Inc., a network infrastructure company formerly based in Naples, Florida, with conducting a multi-year accounting fraud.

This alleged scheme involved inflating the company’s revenues for certain periods by as much as 108 percent, the misappropriation of millions of dollars of company funds for personal use, and concealing the then-NYSE listed publicly traded company’s issuance of almost $23 million in convertible notes. The complaint filed by the SEC alleges Michael Palleschi and David Lethem, the former CEO and CFO respectively of FTE, directed the company to issue approximately $22.7 million in convertible notes with short-term maturities, steep interest rates, and market-price-based formulas for conversion into shares. As alleged, Palleschi and Lethem misled in-house accounting personnel and FTE’s outside auditor about certain material terms of the notes, which were not properly accounted for or disclosed in FTE’s financial statements. The complaint also alleges that Palleschi and Lethem inflated FTE’s revenue by directing FTE to improperly recognize revenue and related accounts receivable for nonexistent construction projects. According to the complaint, Palleschi and Lethem misappropriated millions of dollars of company funds to pay for personal expenses, including luxury car leases, private jet services, and unauthorized salary increases.

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