My Uncle passed in December of 2007 and left me the privilege of executing his estate. My lawyer contracted Mr. James Geib, CPA to handle all accounting of distributions and taxable liabilities of the estate. In 2008 the Estate was settled. An audit later that year by the State of NJ uncovered an error made by a miscalculation on the Estate’s tax return which was performed by Mr. Geib.
The matter was never settled or even addressed until May of 2016. By this time, the State of NJ had assessed penalties which nearly doubled the original amount owed and now reached five figures.
The reason for this review of Mr. Geib is to document his business practice and moral compass. As recent as November of 2016, Mr. Geib has freely stated to both me and the attorney who handled the Estate that he had indeed made an error on the return. The problem is that Mr. Geib has refused to stand by his work and make any reparation, either in whole or in part. His reasons are, 1) I signed the return and he is therefore absolved of any responsibility. 2) Since so much time had gone by he felt no more responsibility for the job.
I take responsibility for signing the return. However if you’ve ever purchased a car, a home, or executed an Estate, you know the mountain of paperwork that requires your signature. I’m not an accountant but I relied on his (Mr. Geib’s) representations and expertise as a CPA. His mistake ultimately cost me thousands of dollars in penalties and interest on the original amount which now reached five figures. As for the long time frame, if this had been corrected in the beginning, Mr.Geib would not have to use it as an excuse to hide behind.
Based on my experience, I would not recommend the services of Mr. James Geib. He failed in his professional responsibilities as a CPA. This is a fact not in dispute. He also had the chance to help make things right but again, he chose not to. This was a conscious decision on his part, also not in dispute. It calls into question the man’s character, professional ethics and moral value.
