Martin S. Wilczynski is a Senior Managing Director at Ankura Consulting Group based in Washington, DC. Mr. Wilczynski has nearly 35 years of professional experience in accounting, internal and forensic investigations. In addition to his nearly 20 years of consulting experience, Mr. Wilczynski’s background includes 10 years of auditing experience at an international accounting firm and 6 years on the staff of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where he served for 5 years within the Enforcement Division.
Prior to joining Ankura, Mr. Wilczynski spent 13 years with FTI Consulting, where he was the leader of the Forensic Accounting practice within the Forensic and Litigation Consulting segment. In addition to his experience with FTI, for 5 years Mr. Wilczynski was a shareholder at Ten Eyck Associates, a boutique forensic accounting and SEC Enforcement consulting firm.
Since leaving the SEC in 1998, Mr. Wilczynski has focused his consulting practice on SEC enforcement proceedings, internal and forensic investigations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and anti-corruption reviews, litigation support, financial reporting, and revenue recognition issues. He has worked with outside counsel in representing boards and special committees in a number of complex, fact-finding accounting investigations involving financial restatements, whistleblower allegations, and SEC enforcement and reporting issues. He has also been responsible for conducting several forensic Section 10A examinations resulting from concerns raised by auditors of public companies. Mr. Wilczynski has assisted counsel on many occasions in translating and communicating the results of those investigations to the SEC staff and other regulators.
While he was at the SEC, Mr. Wilczynski was responsible for numerous financial and accounting investigations, including the critical evaluation of investigatory evidence used in making recommendations to the Commission. In addition, he has expertise with respect to actions brought against accounting and auditing professionals pursuant to Rule 102(e) of the Commission’s Rules of Practice. In 1997, Mr. Wilczynski was awarded the SEC’s Sydney C. Orbach Award in recognition of significant accounting contributions to the Commission’s full disclosure program and to the protection of investors.
Mr. Wilczynski’s professional experience includes:
- Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities – Retained by Trustee as the co-leader of the global consulting team providing investigative and litigation support to the Trustee and his counsel. Engagement assistance included the organization and supervision of teams in a variety of areas including forensic investigation, data analysis and litigation consulting.
- UnitedHealth Group – Retained by counsel to a Special Committee to lead a team providing technical accounting consulting assistance relating to an options backdating investigation. Participated in all facets of the investigation including technical assessment and reporting of findings to the Special Committee.
- Global Manufacturer Accounting Investigation – Retained by counsel to assist in a global investigation and eventual multi-year restatement relating to various “bill and hold” and other accounting and reporting allegations including reserves, anti-corruption and FCPA issues, asset capitalization and earnings. Reported and interfaced with both the SEC and DOJ throughout the course of the investigation and resolution.
- United States Department of Justice – Retained by the DOJ to assist in the investigation and prosecution of an accounting fraud case. Assisted counsel in analyzing accounting documents and testimony, and in conducting witness interviews relevant to the matter.
- Accounting Fraud Investigation – Retained by counsel to assist in the defense of an SEC investigation and to examine and advise on various allegations regarding the multinational company’s restructuring reserves, acquisition accounting and disclosure issues. Reported all findings to counsel and assisted and participated with counsel in informational presentations to the SEC staff.
- Software and Web-Based Content Provider – Retained by counsel to assist in defense of a DOJ investigation. Assisted counsel in analyzing acquisitions and providing technical accounting advice related to software revenue recognition. Presented findings to DOJ. Matter was closed with no action taken against the client.
- Financial Institution SEC Enforcement Matter – Retained by counsel to assist in defending an accounting inquiry by the SEC involving loan loss reserves and disclosure issues. Provided technical accounting advice, performed analysis of loan model structure and calculations, and assisted in presentations to the SEC.
- Whistleblower Matter – Retained by counsel to a Board of Directors of a Fortune 500 retailing corporation to investigate various accounting allegations raised in anonymous “whistleblower” letters. Assisted counsel in the analysis and assessment of accounting and liquidity issues and in the communication of findings to the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, SEC and DOJ.
- FCPA Investigation – Retained by counsel for a global transportation company to defend against anti-corruption investigations conducted by the SEC and DOJ. Assistance involved interviewing witnesses, conducting a forensic review of underlying e-mails, documents and payment records, and participation in meetings with the SEC and DOJ to present ongoing findings.
- Corporate Internal Controls Consulting – Retained directly by major loan originator to assess, analyze, formalize, test and document key internal controls used in various components of its operations.
Mr. Wilczynski received a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with highest honors from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and is credentialed as a Certified Financial Forensics professional with the AICPA. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Association of SEC Alumni, and the SEC Historical Society.