The actions taken by the accountant and the other employees. In hindsight, the accountant should have refused to acquiesce to the owner's request to "fix" the books. However, what actions should he have taken when the owner made this request? Did he have any choices, short of notifying the authorities?

How much blame should be assigned to the CPA firm? They seem to feel that they followed the standards and should not be expected to identify fraudulent actions. Do you agree or do you see a greater role for auditors?