Guidehouse has announced that Ellen Zimiles, head of the company’s Financial Services division, will present in the U.S. Conference of Mayors to discuss how cities can prevent, detect and remediate fraud, waste and abuse in connection with the use of COVID-19 relief funds, Guidehouse reported on Tuesday.
“America’s cities are on the front lines in the global war against the COVID-19 pandemic,” noted Zimiles. “The federal government has taken action to provide critical funding to help fight that war – which will enable localities to procure vital medical supplies and resources and provide critical assistance to citizens, local businesses, and community organizations.”
Zimiles’ presentation will address the need for cities to create a control framework to minimize fraud while maximizing the federal reimbursement process and ensuring that every dollar goes to its intended public use. She will also discuss internal controls, vendor due diligence, field inspections, ongoing monitoring and compliance process improvement.
Zimiles, will draw from her experience in the industry to discuss how the need for supplies and resources often introduces fraud against the significant pool of available resources, capitalizing on control weaknesses. During the critically important time for local governments, Zimiles will focus on how companies can develop a robust and comprehensive control framework.
At Guidehouse, Zimiles is a partner and the firm’s Financial Services Advisory and Compliance segment leader. She has brought over 30 years of litigation and investigation experience involving many high-profile money laundering, fraud and forfeiture cases.
As a leading authority on Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), Zimiles has been quoted in several publications, including American Banker, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.
She has also served as an internationally recognized expert in anti-money laundering (AML) program development, corporate governance, regulatory and corporate compliance, fraud control and public corruption matters. She has worked with a multitude of financial institutions preparing for regulatory exams, remediation programs and as a regulatory liaison.
As an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York for more than 10 years, Zimiles served in the civil and criminal divisions and was chief of the forfeiture unit for more than six years. She has received the Department of Justice’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Service and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Integrity Award.
“Our advice is informed by our team’s deep experience with relief initiatives for various natural and manmade disasters, including 9/11, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) following the 2008-2009 financial crisis, and Superstorm Sandy,” offered Scott McIntyre, CEO of Guidehouse and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. “I am proud to have Ellen represent our firm in this important initiative.”
The presentation on April 7 is part of an effort organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies via its COVID-19 Local Response Initiative and the U.S. Conference of Mayors to solicit the advice of experts who have experience overseeing government stimulus and funding programs during crises to help cities access and track Federal programs and funding mechanisms to support COVID-19 response and recovery.
About Guidehouse
Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public and commercial markets with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. We help clients address their toughest challenges with a focus on markets and clients facing transformational change, technology-driven innovation, and significant regulatory pressure.
Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and technology/analytics services, we help clients create scalable, innovative solutions that prepare them for future growth and success. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the company has more than 7,000 professionals in over 50 locations.
