Over the years, Mr. Zehnle has been retained by corporate clients — and has been accepted and approved by various U.S. authorities — as an independent examiner and consultant in a number of highly complex cases. These matters have involved allegations of tax evasion, undisclosed foreign bank accounts and assets, conspiracy, money laundering, securities fraud and financial accounting violations.
Independent examinations are different than internal investigations in several important respects. Though both involve corporate entities, an independent examination is typically mandated by a government agency (such as the U.S. Department of Justice or the Securities and Exchange Commission) pursuant to an agreement or consent decree with the company; on the other hand, an internal investigation is a voluntary decision made by the company without any government involvement.
In an independent examination, there generally is no attorney-client relationship between the examiner and the corporation, and the consultant’s independent findings are required to be reported to both the company and the federal authorities. Mr. Zehnle has been appointed as an independent examiner on multiple occasions involving foreign banks, a global insurance and financial services company, and a securities brokerage firm.
Size is not an issue. Based on the professional network he has established over decades of practice, Mr. Zehnle is in the advantageous position of “leveraging up” with colleagues possessing the specific technical expertise that is needed to assist a corporation that is saddled with a mandated examination. He then manages these hand-picked resources in a cost-effective manner to get the job done right.