HOURS INFLATED, P.R. AIDE TESTIFIES.Byline: JOSH KLEINBAUM Staff Writer A former administrative assistant at Fleishman-Hillard testified Friday in a federal fraud trial that a senior executive at the public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most firm twice instructed her to inflate inflate - deflate bills for the DWP DWP Department of Work and Pensions (UK) DWP Drinking Water Program DWP Dynamic Weapon Pricing (gamin, Counter-Strike: Source) DWP Department of Water & Power DWP Drinking Water Protection by $10,000. Candice Campbell, who worked for the firm from 1995 until 2004, testified that Senior Vice President John Stodder twice told her to "write up" the Department of Water and Power account by $10,000. She said she had to calculate the hourly rates of various Fleishman-Hillard employees - a difficult task. "It was hard to convert one lump sum Lump sum A large one-time payment of money. into people's hours," said Campbell, who received immunity for her testimony in the federal trial. Stodder and Doug Dowie, former head of the firm's Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. office, are charged with conspiracy and wire fraud. Campbell told the jury she helped inflate DWP bills regularly after Monique Moret joined the firm as a vice president in September 2002. Moret testified earlier that she would inflate the bills by hand-writing hours onto a billing worksheet to ensure that the company met projected revenue goals. Campbell, Moret's former administrative assistant, substantiated those claims. When additional hours were needed to meet the forecast, she would ask employees to provide descriptions of activities that she could add to the bill. "I was asked to go to them and get some hours from them. I would give them a copy of the billing worksheet and tell them I needed some hours," she said. Campbell struggled under cross-examination from Michael Resch, Stodder's attorney, conceding con·cede v. con·ced·ed, con·ced·ing, con·cedes v.tr. 1. To acknowledge, often reluctantly, as being true, just, or proper; admit. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. that when employees gave her additional hours to add to the bill, she did not know that if the hours were fraudulent The description of a willful act commenced with the Specific Intent to deceive or cheat, in order to cause some financial detriment to another and to engender personal financial gain. or simply an oversight. "For all you know, they could've worked the time, isn't that true?" Resch asked. "Yes," Campbell replied. Earlier Friday, Moret ended her fourth day on the witness stand. josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3669 |
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