Petitioner: DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION, BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY
Respondent: CARL W. ELLSPERMANN
Judges: LISA SHEARER NELSON
Agency: Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Locations: Gainesville, Florida
Filed: Jun. 08, 2015
Status: Closed
Settled and/or Dismissed prior to entry of RO/FO on Friday, July 31, 2015.
Latest Update: Dec. 23, 2024
FILED
Department of Business arid Professional Regulation
Deputy Agency Clerk
STATE OF FLORIDA ck Og
‘vette Lawson-Proctor
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL REGULAT] pate 49/20/2014
File #
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONAL REGULATION,
Petitioner,
Vv. Case No. 2013-044346
CARL W. ELLSPERMANN,
Respondent,
ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
Petitioner, the Department Of Business and Professional
Regulation, files this Administrative Complaint before the Board
of Accountancy (Board), against Respondent, CARL W. ELLSPERMANN.
1. Petitioner is the state agency charged with regulating
the practice of public accountancy, pursuant to Section 20.165,
Florida Statutes, and Chapters 455 and 473, Florida Statutes.
2. At all times material to this Complaint, the
Respondent was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the
State of Florida, having first been issued license number AC
04090 on May 1, 1992.
3. The Respondent's address of record is 1111 N.E. 25%
Avenue, Suite 202, Ocala, Florida 34470.
MATERIAL FACTS
4, From a period beginning in or about the year 1999 and
continuing through or about the year 2012, the Respondent was
hired by the Bie Family Irrevocable Trust (“the Trust”) to
prepare and file financial information concerning the Trust.
5. For the tax years of 2004, 2010, and 2011, the
Respondent erroneously reported on Internal Revenue Service's
Schedule K-1 tax forms that Rita Yost (“Ms. Yost”), a
beneficiary of the Trust, received distributions from the Trust
when in fact Ms. Yost never received any income from the Trust
during the aforementioned years.
6. On or about December 11, 2012, the Respondent sent a
letter to the trustee stating, “I have concluded that I was in
error when I allocated income distributions to [Ms. Yost]. I am
enclosing the amended returns for 2011, and 2010.”
7. As a result of the Respondent’s error, Ms. Yost
incurred undue federal income tax liability in the amount of
$1,992.55.
8. On or about May 3, 2013, the Internal Revenue Service
confirmed that the Respondent never reported the amended
Schedule K-1 tax forms for the tax years of 2010 and 2011 to the
Internal Revenue Service.
9. To date, the Respondent has neither reported the
amended Schedule K-1 tax forms to the Internal Revenue Service,
nor has he paid any fees to Ms. Yost that she incurred as a
result of his error.
COUNT ONE
10. The Petitioner realleges and incorporates by reference
the allegations set forth in paragraphs one (1) through nine (9)
as though fully set forth herein.
11. Section 473.323(1)(g), Florida Statutes (2013),
provides that “[C]lommitting an act of fraud or deceit, or of
negligence, incompetency, or misconduct, in the practice of
public accounting” constitutes grounds for which disciplinary
actions may be taken.
12. Based on the facts set forth above, the Respondent
violated Section 473.323(1)(g), Florida Statutes (2013), by
erroneously preparing and filing Schedule K-1 tax forms with the
Internal Revenue Service for tax years 2004, 2010, and 2011,
which reflected distributions made from the Trust to Ms. Yost
when in fact those distributions were never made, thereby
causing Ms. Yost to incur undue tax liability.
COUNT TWO
13. The Petitioner realleges and incorporates by reference
the allegations set forth in paragraphs one (1) through nine (9)
as though fully set forth herein.
14. Section 473.323(1) (h), Florida Statutes (2013), states
“violation of any rule adopted pursuant to this chapter or
chapter 455” constitutes grounds for which disciplinary actions
may be taken.
15. Rule 61H1-22.001(2), Florida Administrative Code,
states that, “a certified public accountant shall comply with
the following general standards and must justify any departures
therefrom: (2) Due professional care. A certified public
accountant shall exercise due professional care in the
performance of an engagement”.
16. Based on the facts set forth above, the Respondent
violated Section 473.323(1) (h), Florida Statutes (2013), through
a violation of Rule 61H1-22.001(2), Florida Administrative Code,
by not exercising due professional care in the performance of an
engagement by erroneously preparing and filing Schedule K-1 tax
forms with the Internal Revenue Service for tax years 2004,
2010, and 2011, which reflected distributions made from the
Trust to Ms. Yost when in fact those distributions were never
made, thereby causing Ms. Yost to incur undue tax liability.
WHEREFORE, Petitioner respectfully requests that the Board
of Accountancy enter an Order imposing one or more of the
following penalties: permanent revocation or suspension of the
Respondent’s license, restriction of practice, imposition of an
administrative fine, issuance of a reprimand, placement of
Respondent on probation, assessment of costs, corrective action
and/or any other relief that the Board deems appropriate.
Signed this 14° day of October, 2014.
KEN LAWSON, Secretary
Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
Cristin Erica White
Cristin Erica White
Chief Attorney
Division of Certified Public
Accounting
Florida Bar No. 0641340
Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
Office of the General Counsel
1940 N. Monroe Street, Ste. 42
Tallahassee, FL 32399-2202
(850) 488-0062 Telephone
(850) 414-6749 Facsimile
PC Found: October 9, 2014
PC Found By: S. Vogel, D. Dennis, F. Puissegur
CEW/rdv
Case No.: 2013-044346
NOTICE OF RIGHTS
Please be advised that mediation under section 120.573, Florida
Statutes, is not available for administrative disputes involving this
type of agency action.
Please be advised that Respondent has the right to request a
hearing to be conducted in accordance with sections 120.569 and
120.57, Florida Statutes, to be represented by counsel or other
qualified representative, to present evidence and argument, to call
and cross-examine witnesses and to have subpoenas and subpoenas duces
tecum issued on his or her behalf if a hearing is requested. Any
request for an administrative proceeding to challenge or contest the
charges contained in the administrative complaint must conform to Rule
28-106.2015, Florida Administrative Code. Rule 28-106.111, Florida
Administrative Code, provides in part that if Respondent fails to
request a hearing within 21 days of receipt of an agency pleading,
Respondent waives the right to request a hearing on the facts alleged.
NOTICE REGARDING ASSESSMENT OF COSTS
Respondent is placed on notice that Petitioner has incurred costs
related to the investigation and prosecution of this matter. Pursuant
to section 455.227(3) (a), Florida Statutes, the Board, or the
Department when there is no Board, may assess costs related to the
investigation and prosecution of the case excluding costs associated
with an attorney's time, against Respondent in addition to any other
discipline imposed.
Docket for Case No: 15-003291PL
Issue Date |
Proceedings |
Jul. 31, 2015 |
Order Closing Files and Relinquishing Jurisdiction. CASE CLOSED.
|
Jul. 28, 2015 |
Joint Motion to Relinquish Jurisdiction filed.
|
Jul. 16, 2015 |
Petitioner's Notice of Taking Deposition (of Carl Ellspermann and Ernest Bie) filed.
|
Jul. 08, 2015 |
Notice of Service of Petitioner's First Set of Interlocking Discovery Requests for Admissions, Interrogatories, and Requests to Produce filed.
|
Jun. 26, 2015 |
Notice of Additional Counsel (Megan Kachur) filed.
|
Jun. 24, 2015 |
Notice of Telephonic Pre-hearing Conference (set for August 19, 2015; 10:00 a.m.).
|
Jun. 24, 2015 |
Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
|
Jun. 24, 2015 |
Notice of Hearing by Video Teleconference (hearing set for September 1, 2015; 9:30 a.m.; Gainesville and Tallahassee, FL).
|
Jun. 19, 2015 |
(Petitioner's) Second Response to Initial Order filed.
|
Jun. 17, 2015 |
Order of Consolidation (DOAH Case Nos. 15-3291PL and 15-3292).
|
Jun. 15, 2015 |
(Petitioner's) Response to Initial Order filed.
|
Jun. 08, 2015 |
Initial Order.
|
Jun. 08, 2015 |
Administrative Complaint filed.
|
Jun. 08, 2015 |
Election of Rights filed.
|
Jun. 08, 2015 |
Agency referral letter filed.
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