When University of Maryland students in the Justice for Fraud Victims project received suspicious job offers via text, their fraud investigation skills—sharpened under faculty advisor Samuel Handwerger at the Smith School—helped uncover "task scams," a scheme costing victims $220M since 2020.

by Samuel Handwerger, CPA 

In fall 2023, the University of Maryland’s Smith School launched the Justice for Fraud Victims (JFV) initiative, led by Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger. Smith and UMD students investigate fraud cases, producing reports that have already proven effective in court.

Smith School faculty and students are dedicated to making a community impact, providing free forensic accounting for fraud victims, supporting small businesses, and offering business and entrepreneurship education to high school students in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

The 21st Annual Summer Reading List for Business Leaders from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business offers diverse recommendations. Highlights include a memoir on AI advances, a book disputing free will, a Grover Cleveland biography, and a novel by Nobel Prize-winning Kazuo Ishiguro.

The globally renowned Smith School excels in business research and offers a top-tier educational experience within a supportive community. Annually, it honors outstanding faculty and staff with prestigious awards.

Spring brings baseball and taxes: Baltimore Orioles navigate $1.725 billion sale amid tax intricacies. David Rubenstein’s acquisition strategy aims to maximize tax benefits. IRS scrutiny looms over potential installment sale complications. Samuel Handwerger's expert insights reveal the complexities of estate planning and tax-saving strategies.

Justice for Fraud Victims (JFV) at UMD offers pro bono risk assessments for small businesses and nonprofits. Led by Samuel Handwerger, CPA-supervised assessments identify control weaknesses, providing pragmatic solutions without budget increases. Launched in 2023, JFV engages students in real fraud cases, supported by local law enforcement.

TerpTax, a free tax service at the University of Maryland, caters to students and low-to-mid-income individuals. Under the direction of Smith Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger, a CPA with a master’s in taxation, it specializes in international student returns. Appointments available until April 15, 2024, offer valuable tax filing assistance.

In 2005, Kathleen and Charles Moore invested $40k in exchange for 11 percent of equity in India-based, ag-equipment company KisanKraft. The Washington state couple received no income from its shares over the following decade, as the company operationally reinvested its profits. Nonetheless, in 2018 the U.S. government handed the Moores a $14,729 tax bill on the profits earned by the foreign entity. Reluctantly they paid but subsequently sued, questioning the constitutionality of taxing unrealized income without apportionment among the states.