Those were questions I would have asked about a vendor I had never met.

They were more painful because I knew the people, not less necessary.

The scheduled $155,000 authorization was checked under the company’s payment controls.

Compliance and the authorized financial officers determined what could proceed, what required verification, and which records needed preservation.

I did not know enough at the outset to call the entire amount a loss or claim it had already been diverted.

The review requested contracts, scope descriptions, invoices, campaign material, delivery evidence, approvals, and information about Beacon’s ownership.