Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Koss Fraud May Have Been Due, in No Small Part, to Michael Koss Holding Five Executive Positions

 It's been nearly three weeks since we last picked up the Koss/Sue Sachdeva beat, when we told you about Michael Koss resigning as the audit committee chair of Strattec Security Corp. At that time, Strattec had also elected to give Grant Thornton the boot as its auditor. Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted a lengthy-ish piece on the "relaxed oversight and lax controls" as the opportunity for the chronic shop 'til you dropper Sue Sachdeva to make off with $31 million. These particular issues (i.e. incestuous management and virtually no internal controls) are a matter of record although it’s interesting to note the new details that come to light. The article mentions how Michael Koss managed to "serve" in five executive roles at the company: vice chairman, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, president and chief financial officer. PLUS, the aforementioned audit committee chairmanship at Strattec. Now, we're not entirely sure what the responsibilities would be for each of the positions at Koss but at a regular company, one of these jobs would result in some or possibly all of the following: insomnia, workaholism, a drug problem, an ugly divorce. Throw in the responsibilities of an audit committee chairmanship and one would assume that Michael Koss walked across Lake Michigan to get to work. Oh, and just so you’re aware, the Journal Sentinel brings up that MK was an anthropology major. You may have some opinions about that. The JS also spoke to one of the women that was fired along with Suze, Tracy Malone, who "still speaks highly of the company, although it fired her and objected to her claim for unemployment compensation." Koss fired Malone because they allege that she "she knew of the misappropriation of funds but failed to report it to superiors." Ms Malone's attorney has stated these allegations are false. So hang on a minute. Your lawyer says you were fired under "false allegations", the company rejects your claim for unemployment comp, and you still speak highly of said company? Yeesh, have some self-respect lady.

Theft at Koss blamed on relaxed attitude, lax oversight [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]