In June 2004, the SEC and KPMG reached an
agreement to resolve the allegations that the
firm’s GTGI audits had been deficient. KPMG
agreed to pay a $10 million fi ne, which at the
time was the largest fine ever imposed on an
independent audit fi rm by the SEC.16 The SEC
also censured KPMG and sanctioned four of
the firm’s auditors involved in the relevant
GTGI audit engagements. The latter individuals
included the engagement audit partner, coengagement
audit partner, review partner, and senior audit manager who had been assigned
to one or more of those engagements. Each of
these individuals was suspended from practicing
before the SEC for one or more years.
In February 2006, Elsie Leung, GTGI’s former
CFO, agreed to pay $1.3 million to resolve pending
SEC charges that she had participated in the
fraudulent scheme to misrepresent GTGI’s financial
statements. Leung was also permanently
barred from serving as an officer or director of
a public company.