Contact: Sammy McDavid
A former business executive convicted of stealing millions from his company will discuss ethical decisions in the workplace with students in Mississippi State accounting classes Sept. 10, then with participants at a university accounting convocation on the 11th.
Walt Pavlo is co-author of "Stolen without a Gun: Confessions from Inside History's Biggest Accounting Fraud--The Collapse of MCI Worldcom." Published last year by Etika LLC, his book is a collaboration with Forbes magazine senior editor Neil Weinberg.
As an MCI senior manager, Pavlo was responsible for billing and collections in the carrier finance division. In that role, he perpetuated a scheme over six months to defraud some $6 million.
Pavlo, a graduate of West Virginia and Mercer universities, eventually pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. Featured in a June 10, 2002, Forbes cover story, the account of his misdeeds gained national attention just weeks before Clinton-based WorldCom divulged that it had more than $7 billion in accounting irregularities.
A widely recognized speaker to Fortune 500 companies, accounting firms and law enforcement agencies, Pavlo recounts how aggressive performance measures of the telecommunication industry led him to commit the crime. In addition to detailing the fraud and how it was discovered, he will discuss his personal experiences in federal prison.
Pavlo's appearances on the 10th in classes of associate professor Mark Lehman will take place at 8 and 10 a.m., and 1 and 2 p.m.
The campus convocation takes place 3:30-5 p.m. on the 11th in the Taylor Auditorium of McCool Hall, home of the sponsoring College of Business and Industry and Adkerson School of Accountancy.
While none are public events, interested members of the news media are invited to attend. To ensure adequate seating, please contact Lehman as soon as possible at 662-325-1641 or mark.lehman@msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.