Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (who serves as our principal executive officer) and Chief Financial Officer (who serves as our principal financial and accounting officer), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the material weakness related to the proper design and implementation of certain controls over income tax provisions and management’s review of the income tax provision described below.
Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A material weakness is a significant deficiency, or combination of significant deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual and interim financial statements will not be detected or prevented on a timely basis. During our assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control and as a result of the external audit of our financial results for the year ended December 31, 2024, we identified a material weakness in internal control related to the proper design and implementation of certain controls over financial reporting related to the income tax provision and management’s review of the income tax provision.
While we are working to implement controls and procedures to remediate the deficiency, such deficiency continues to result in an elevated risk that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected by other compensating controls. Notwithstanding the identified material weakness, we believe the consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Plan of Remediation of Material Weakness in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Following the identification and communication of the material weakness described above, management has actively engaged in implementing remediation plans to address the material weakness, including the following:
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Management, with the assistance of a third party, will perform an evaluation of the processes and procedures around our internal control design gaps, and recommend process enhancements, specifically related to income tax provisions.
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We have and will continue enhancing our review processes for complex accounting transactions by enhancing access to accounting literature and identification of third-party professionals with whom to consult regarding complex accounting applications to supplement existing accounting professionals.
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We will utilize additional services of external consultants for non-routine and\or technical accounting issues for income tax provisions as they arise.
The income tax provision material weakness identified above will not be considered fully remediated until these additional controls and procedures have operated effectively for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are effective. Our management will monitor the effectiveness of our remediation plans and will make changes management determines to be appropriate. No assurance can be made that our remediation efforts will be completed in a timely manner or that the updated controls and procedures associated with such efforts will be deemed adequate after being subjected to testing. If not remediated, this income tax provision material weakness could result in material misstatements to our annual or interim consolidated financial statements that may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis or result in a delayed filing of required periodic reports. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected, and we could become subject to litigation or investigations by the NYSE American, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
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Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the three months ended March 31, 2025, other than the changes discussed above, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Inherent Limitation on the Effectiveness of Internal Control
The effectiveness of any system of internal control over financial reporting, including ours, is subject to inherent limitations, including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, operating, and evaluating the controls and procedures, and the inability to eliminate misconduct completely. Accordingly, any system of internal control over financial reporting, including ours, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute assurances. In addition, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. We intend to continue to monitor and upgrade our internal controls as necessary or appropriate for our business but cannot assure you that such improvements will be sufficient to provide us with effective internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.