Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of March 31, 2024, our management, with participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a – 15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, two material weaknesses in the internal control over financial reporting (described below) were identified. Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective at the reasonable assurance level as of March 31, 2024.
The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act are recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and our management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.
Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
As of March 31, 2024, our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based on this assessment, two material weaknesses over financial reporting were identified (described below). Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of March 31, 2024.
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In a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on May 1, 2024, we became aware that we were the victim of a criminal scheme involving the impersonation of a purchaser of Secured Notes upon the default on a legally binding commitment to purchase Secured Notes. The scheme resulted in the misdirection of approximately $1.3 million held in Company accounts to a fraudulent account controlled by a third party and a default on a legally binding commitment to purchase $8.0 million of Secured Notes. As a result of the default and the related misdirection of funds, management re-evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. Based on this assessment, management identified material weaknesses in two areas, including the methods used to review, evaluate and accept financing proposals from investors and lenders and the process used to enter unusual significant transactions. These material weaknesses remained unremediated as of March 31, 2024. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that a reasonable possibility exists that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. There was no impact on the financial position, results of operations and cash flows as a result of the material weaknesses.
Remediation Plans for Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We are committed to establishing and maintaining a strong internal control environment. In response to the identified material weakness as described above, the Company’s Board of Directors and its Audit Committee are conducting an internal investigation to determine the root cause of the material weaknesses, with advice from outside advisors. Upon conclusion of this investigation, they will work with management to evaluate internal controls over financial reporting based on criteria set forth in “Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013)” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Remediation plans being considered include, but are not limited to, adjusting authorization thresholds for unusual or significant transactions, enhancing the Company's due diligence procedures in connection with vetting of potential financial transactions with investors and lenders, requiring that transactions are performed in U.S. dollars in compliance with authorization thresholds, and requiring that transfers are made only by wire or check. A final remediation plan is expected to be in place by June 30, 2024.
Inherent Limitations of Internal Controls
While we strive to create a stronger control environment, we recognize that it is impossible for our internal controls over financial reporting to prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. While we are committed to continuously improve and strengthen our control environment, over time, our internal controls over financial reporting may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that internal controls over financial reporting may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act during the three months ended March 31, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our 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.