The Real Game of Missing Money failure of federal agencies to produce Independent annual certified financial statements and reliable financial systems; $3.3 trillion of undocumented adjustments at HUD and DOD for fiscal 1998-2000. 20020522 Catherine Austin Fitts, Solari Report, “Letter to Congressman Van Hilleary.” Media 20020702 Sarbanes-Oxley Act signed into law to protect stakeholders and investors by improving the dependability and precision of corporate financial disclosures. The legislation also creates the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and includes a mandate that public companies pay accounting support fees that operate as one of the funding sources for the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). law 20020828 Sealed transcripts filed in qui tam case from period before the case was unsealed. Transcripts for several hearings are missing. Hamilton 20020930 2002 FY end. $500.1B in undocumentable adjustments against Treasury at Army. DoD, Treasury 20021101 HBO's The Sopranos, episode 46: “Watching Too Much Television” (Scamming the Feds); Brian lays out a way to use bogus real estate deals to con money out of HUD. Media, HUD 20021107 Enactment of the Accountability of Tax Dollars Act, which expands the types of federal agencies that are required to prepare audited financial statements. law 20021200 Paul O'Neill is fired as Secretary of Treasury for his public disagreement with the Administration regarding costs and mechanisms of starting the Iraq War. The controversy relates to a report commissioned in 2002 by O'Neill while Treasury Secretary documenting total outstanding debt and liabilities of the U.S. federal government. The report suggests the United States faces future U.S. federal budget deficits of more than $500BB and that sharp tax increases, massive spending cuts, or both will be unavoidable if the United States is to meet benefit promises to its future generations. Treasury 20030203 John W. Snow becomes Secretary of the Treasury and serves until June 30, 2006. Treasury 20030210 Rudolf Contreras replaced as opposing counsel in the qui tam case by attorney Brian J. Sonfield in representing the U.S. Government. Hamilton 20030418 Kelly O’Meara story in Insight Magazine: “HUD’s Financial Woes Continue.” Media, HUD 20030501 Judge Oberdorfer denies Hamilton’s motion to dismiss claims related to the optimization error by Hamilton’s contractor, AT&T/Bell Labs in the qui tam case. Hamilton 20030526 Scoop Media article, “US’ Missing Trillions Make Mainstream At Last.” For the original missing trillions stories, see, "Government Fails Fiscal-Fitness Test" posted on April 29, 2002 (link). The elevation of this blockbuster story into the mainstream comes after the San Francisco Chronicle runs a front-page investigative piece a week before. The full text of this article is included below for archival and educational purposes. After publication of the Chronicle article, several more mainstream mentions are made of the story in other media, including CBS News (see below) and The Guardian in the United Kingdom. Media 20030821 Kelly O’Meara story in Insight Magazine: “‘High Risk Finance at the Federal Level: The US Government Reports That Its Financial Management Systems Are Seriously Unreliable….” Media, Treasury 20030928 2003 FY end. $268.3B in undocumentable adjustments against Treasury at Army. Media, DoD Treasury 20030930 Kelly O’Meara story in Insight Magazine: “Treasury Checks and Unbalances: The 2003 Financial Statements Mark the Seventh Year in a Row That the Federal Government Could not Audit, Let Alone Balance, Its Books.” Media, Treasury 20031001 Hamilton files a motion for summary judgment in the Court of Federal Claims case. Hamilton 1 8 3