Nicole Sliger, CPA, CFE, CFF
Professional Affiliations
American Bar Association, Associate Member
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Trainer
New Jersey State Society of Certified Public Accountants
New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants
Education
B.S., Accounting, The College of New Jersey
Professional Profile
Nicole Sliger leads the Legal segment of BDO’s Forensics practice encompassing monitorships, investigations, litigation, anti-money laundering and global corporate intelligence service offerings. Based in the New York office, she has over 20 years of experience providing accounting services to private and publicly traded businesses. She assists organizations and their counsel with matters involving alleged financial statement irregularities, management fraud and compliance issues, as well as investigating fraud perpetrated by rogue employees. She also provides monitoring and oversight services to companies required to comply with settlement terms and corporate compliance programs.
Nicole is currently serving a member of the core team assisting the Special Compliance Coordinator for Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. stemming from the historic settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce. She also served as the primary project leader for the historic National Mortgage Settlement engagement assisting the Monitor in evaluating several large financial institutions’ compliance with the new mortgage servicing rules and other settlement terms. She has led engagements involving complex generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) issues, including the allowance for loan losses, and has conducted certain peer analyses in this regard. She has been involved in a number of high-profile securities litigation matters, monitorships, white collar crime, investigations and financial statement fraud cases, helping counsel evaluate and interpret auditing, accounting, financial reporting, and compliance issues. She has also testified on matters regarding data analysis and accounting methods for certain Medicare costs.
Nicole has managed significant corporate investigations for Fortune 500 companies across various industries, including banking, manufacturing, professional services and telecommunications, among others. She assists counsel in identifying relevant documents during discovery and preparing for depositions of witnesses concerning testimony that involves the application of GAAP and GAAS. She supervises large-scale electronic document reviews and drafts reports used in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators. She has also led a number of internal and shadow investigations and matters involving whistleblower allegations.
Prior to joining BDO, Nicole was a Manager at Ernst & Young’s Fraud and Investigative Dispute Services practice and previously was a member of EY’s audit practice.
Representative Matters
Serving as an expert witness to counsel for a defendant and relief defendants in an insider trading matter involving the tracing of funds from the sources of funds related to certain trading activity
Serving as a member of the core team assisting the Special Compliance Coordinator for Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. stemming from the historic settlement with the U.S. Department of Commerce
Provided consulting and expert witness services to counsel for defendant with respect to potential damages owed resulting from alleged breaches of mortgage representations pursuant to a mortgage loan purchase agreement involving defendant’s securitization of residential mortgage-backed securities
Served as the primary project leader for the historic National Mortgage Settlement engagement assisting the Monitor in evaluating several large financial institutions’ compliance with new mortgage servicing rules and other settlement terms
Provided consulting and expert witness services to outside counsel representing four officer-defendants in a criminal matter relating to various SEC and regulatory reporting allegations involving disclosure issues related to credit risk, asset quality and the allowance for loan losses
Provided consulting services to outside counsel for the former CFO related to various SEC allegations involving disclosure issues related to loan underwriting, credit risk, and asset quality
Provided consulting services to the former CEO-defendant’s outside counsel regarding various accounting issues, including alleged earnings management, research and development charges, inventory pricing and valuation reserves, related party transactions, and restatement of previously-issued financial statements
Provided consulting services to the defendants’ counsel regarding various accounting issues, including alleged earnings management, debt repurchases, real estate mortgage interest conduits (REMICs), credit insurance, suspense accounts, and low income housing tax credits.
Publications
The Practitioner’s Guide to Monitorships, Second Edition, “A Forensic Perspective: Testing and Verification of the Assertions Made Within Settlement Agreements,” Chapter, April 2020
The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations, Volume I: Global Investigations in the, United Kingdom and the United States, Fourth Edition, “Forensic Accounting Skills in Investigations” Chapter, February 2020
“Whistleblowing: Responding to the Race to Report,” Partnering Perspectives, Spring 2011
“Listen Closely: Is that a Whistle Blowing Or a Slot Machine Ringing?” Directorship Magazine, January 2011
Prior Experience
Manager, Investigative and Dispute Services, Ernst & Young LLP, New York, New York (2004-2006)
Senior Associate, Assurance, Ernst & Young LLP, Woodbridge, New Jersey (2000-2004)
Personal Interests
When she has any “spare” time from working and spending time with her 3 young children, Nicole likes to give back to the community by serving as a volunteer for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to assist children in foster care in obtaining the services they need. She also enjoys catching up with friends, reading mystery novels, and going for bike rides or long walks with the family.