What's Beneath the Surface?
Park Hartman LLC specializes in those critical and high-impact situations where a deeper dive into a company’s or an individual’s financials is required to identify issues, unlock hidden value and settle disputes. We are called on to quantify damages, provide expert witness testimony, investigate accounting fraud, value a potential acquisition or look for hidden assets.
What We Do
When the stakes are high, you trust those who have been there before.
We have years of experience guiding companies and individuals through critical circumstances.
Embezzlement, tracing hidden assets, accounting fraud, high net worth disputes, marital and business disputes, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) Compliance and white collar criminal defense.
We can be expert witnesses on valuations, damages calculations and accounting issues. A federal judge wrote the following regarding Susan’s testimony in his courtroom “Her testimony was articulate, supported by uncontested facts, direct, and helpful. She was a compelling, credible witness.”
We assist defense counsel in white-collar criminal matters. We advise on relevant accounting and finance issues and testify in court.
We assist trustees and receivers by providing accounting and claims support, asset tracing and other services tailored to the unique needs of trustees and the interests they serve.
Who We Are
Susan Hartman
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
BSM in Accounting 1990
Dean’s List, Beta Alpha Psi (accounting honor society)
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
MBA in Finance 1996
Susan has over 25 years of experience as an accounting and finance expert advising companies in high-impact situations. After receiving an accounting degree from Tulane University and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, Susan began her career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers in New York City. At Lehman, Susan advised Fortune 500 companies, on public stock and debt offerings and merger transactions. After leaving Lehman, Susan worked as a CFO and Controller of a venture- backed internet real estate company, Owners.com. Susan managed all of the financial and accounting operations for Owners.com and eventually led the successful sale of the company to Homebytes.com. Susan spent several years after that running mergers and acquisitions groups for two large public companies.
Prior to founding Park Hartman LLC, Susan worked for close to a decade with the consulting firm AlixPartners in both New York City and Dallas. Susan also worked at the BVA Group and FTI Consulting. At these firms, Susan ran complex forensic accounting investigations, valuation and litigation support engagements.
Susan is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner. She is a member of the AICPA, Texas Wall Street Women and a founding member of the Dallas Chapter of Women in White Collar Defense. She was a member of the Leadership Dallas class of 2012.
Park Hartman LLC has close working alliances with economists, interim management professionals, attorneys, CFA’s and other CPA’s and CFE’s. These alliances allow Park Hartman to provide its clients with a deep professional team capable of delivering a full range of finance and accounting advisory services.
Susan lives in Dallas with her husband David Guedry and their wonderful son Jack.
- Former Board Member Texas Appleseed (Chair of Finance Committee)
- Former Board Member Bridge Breast Network
- Board Member Suicide and Crisis Center of North Texas
- Volunteer Dallas Women’s Foundation
- Member of Leadership Dallas class of 2012
- Sponsor of the North Texas Food Bank
- Accounting advisory and asset tracing of an alleged oil and gas Ponzi scheme. Assisted attorneys on related Department of Justice, FINRA and follow-on litigation matters.
- Valued the operations of a $10 billion hedge fund as part of a partner dispute. Opined on specific economics of hedge funds and related valuation issues.
- Investigated embezzlement by corporate executive of a private enterprise. Advised the Board of Directors on type and extent of malfeasance and on subsequent internal control enhancements.
- Advised start-up company on accounting and financing issues. Set up accounting system and built financial model. Negotiated B round of venture capital financing and bridge loan.
- Served as accounting advisor to the Independent Monitor appointed by the court as part of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement of a publicly traded software firm. Reported to Department of Justice quarterly on revenue recognition, internal controls and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
To find out more about our representative engagements, please see the Representative Engagements section of this website.
Areas of Expertise and Representative Engagements
Susan has been designated as an expert and testified in numerous matters in district, federal and probate courts as well as in arbitrations. She has opined on a variety of matters, including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), damages calculations, flow of funds and internal controls.
Representative Engagements
- The University of Texas System, and The University of Houston System v. Alliantgroup, LP, and WHRA Merger Sub II, Inc. Agent of WHR Architects, Inc.
Susan worked with counsel to the Universities on damages claims related to tax credits for constructing eco-friendly buildings. - In re Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement Class Action Litigations
Susan served as a summary witness for counsel representing preferred shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regarding damages resulting from the government’s takeover of those agencies. - David Litton; Laura Hampton; Dallas Lundquist; Jo Anne Lundquist; Billie Miles; Douglas Phillips; Catherine Prekup; Stewart Washburn v. Equity Trust Company; Robert Roland Langguth; Claudia Lee Langguth; and Paris Re, Inc.
Susan served as the expert witness working with counsel representing investors in the Paris Re Ponzi scheme that sued Equity Trust for facilitating the fraud. - In the Matter of the Marriage of A. W. E. and D. M. F. N.
Susan assisted counsel in advising on the separation of marital assets for a $500 million estate. - Peggy Roif Rotstain, et al., on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, and The Official Stanford Investors Committee, v. Trustmark National Bank, HSBC Bank, PLC, The Toronto-Dominion Bank, Independent Bank f/k/a Bank of Houston, SG Private Banking (Suisse) S.A., and Blaise Friedli
Susan assisted counsel to Societe Generale in response to a lawsuit by investors in the Allen Stanford Ponzi scheme, including testifying on the flow of funds between the entity and various banks.
Susan is regularly engaged to take a deeper look into a company’s finances. She performs forensic accounting investigations including internal investigations, DOJ and SEC matters, independent monitorships, white -collar criminal matters and FCPA compliance. She also advises on revised internal controls and compliance issues post-investigations.
Representative Engagements
- Health Insurance Company – The company’s Board of Directors engaged Susan to investigate allegations of embezzlement against the then CEO. She tracked all non-business expenses, reviewed the financial statements and interviewed numerous employees. She presented summarized findings to the Board, which they used in terminating the CEO.
- Real Estate Joint Venture – Susan was asked to prepare financial statements for a 35 year old real estate joint venture that had never reported to investors. Using historical bank statements and other contemporaneous documents, Susan produced the financial statements for all relevant periods.
Susan regularly works with criminal defense attorneys on white- collar matters, including analyzing books and records in order to opine on technical GAAP accounting, investigating and reporting on source and uses of funds, investigation of embezzlement and misappropriation of assets, and testifying in court.
Representative Engagements
- Credit Nation – In response to an inquiry from the SEC, Susan assisted counsel to Credit Nation in creating a financial “snapshot” of the company’s operations. This included tracking all sources and uses of funds from numerous bank accounts over numerous years to create financial statements. Susan testified in Federal Court in the matter. The following is an excerpt from the judge’s order regarding Susan’s testimony: Securities and Exchange Commission v. James A. Torchia, Credit Nation Capital, LLC, Credit Nation Acceptance, LLC, Credit Nation Auto Sales, LLC, American Motor Credit, LLC and Spaghetti Junction, LLC
“At the hearing, Ms. Hartman, the forensic accountant hired by Defendants to respond to the SEC’s investigation, testified at length regarding her analysis of Credit Nation’s finances. Ms. Hartman was eminently qualified to perform the forensic analysis about which she testified, and was well-qualified to explain the opinions and conclusion she offered. Her testimony was articulate, supported by uncontested facts, direct, and helpful. She was a compelling, credible witness.”
- United States of America v. Alan Andrew Beauchamp; Wade Neal Barker; Wilton McPherson Burt; Carli Adele Hempel; Jackson Jacob; Douglas Sung Won; Michael Bassem Rimlawi; David Daesung Kim; William Daniel Nicholson IV; Shawn Mark Henry; Mrugeshkumar Kumar Shah; Gerald Peter Foox; Frank Gonzalez Jr.; Iris Kathleen Forrest; Andrew Jonathan Hillman; Semyon Narosov; Royve Vaughn Bicklein
In 2021, eight doctors were subject to criminal prosecution for bribery under the Travel Act related to dealings with the Forest Park hospital system. Susan testified on the financial operations of one of the doctors, who was the only doctor acquitted in the matter. - United States of America v. Francisco Antonio Colorado Cessa
Mr. Cessa was tried and convicted of money laundering for buying quarter horses in the US and transferring them to the Zeta drug cartel. Susan performed an analysis of the source of the funds used and testified in Federal court in his appeals case. - Medial Device Company – Susan assisted defense counsel to an executive of a Texas based medical device company who was indicted for securities fraud related to revenue recognition. She provided the attorneys with detailed analysis of the relevant GAAP issues and their impact on the financial statements. Susan also worked with economists to advise on the amount of loss for purposes of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
- United States of America v. Jacques Roy, M.D.
Susan testified regarding the financial operations of Dr. Roy who was alleged to have committed a $300 million Medicare fraud.
Public consulting firm – Susan advised the Liquidating Trustee of a multi-billion dollar consulting firm after it went into bankruptcy. She tracked collections and disbursement of funds to investors.
Life settlement company – Susan worked with the receiver of a company put into receivership by the SEC, by advising the receiver on best practices to monetize the assets of the firm.
Contact
If your company could benefit from our knowledge and experience, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.
917-573-5225