Fullerton-based Beckman Coulter Inc. filed its delayed first-quarter earnings report Monday after finding no substance to allegations made by a former worker that its accounting procedures were flawed.
The employee alleged improper accounting for about $25 million in inventory at Beckman, a maker of medical test instruments.
In early May, Beckman said the company’s audit and finance committee was overseeing an inquiry into the allegations. Legal counsel was hired and an outside forensic accounting firm looked at the charges.
“Based upon the work and recommendations of its counsel and forensic accountants, the audit and finance committee concluded that the former employee’s allegations were not substantiated and that no adjustment to the company’s financial statements was required,” Beckman said in a statement.
Beckman’s net income in the first quarter was down 21% to $33 million, versus a year earlier. Sales were $569 million, down 1% from a year ago.
The declines were expected: Beckman changed the way it accounted for revenue from its gear to a leasing model.
Separately, Beckman said Monday that it was paying Switzerland’s F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. $27.5 million plus royalties for the right to use patents related to molecular testing devices.
