CHANGE IN ACCOUNTANTS
On August 5, 2022, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Audit Committee”) of the Company dismissed Weaver and Tidwell, LLP (“Weaver”) as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company, effective immediately. On August 5, 2022, the Audit Committee approved the appointment of Daszkal Bolton LLP (“Daszkal”) as the Company’s new independent registered public accounting firm.
The report of Weaver on the Company’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, nor was it qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles.
During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and the subsequent interim period through August 5, 2022, there were no (i) disagreements, as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K, with Weaver on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedures which, if not resolved to Weaver’s satisfaction, would have caused Weaver to make reference thereto in its report or (ii) reportable events, as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K, except as noted below.
The Company provided Weaver with a copy of the disclosures the Company was making in its Form 8-K and requested that Weaver furnish a letter addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission acknowledging that it agrees with the statements contained therein. A copy of Weaver’s letter, dated August 9, 2022, was filed as Exhibit 16.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K dated August 9, 2022, and such letter stated that it agreed with the statements concerning Weaver contained therein.
During the audits for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, material weaknesses were identified in our internal control over financial reporting, as disclosed in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The material weaknesses were due to insufficient (i) accounting systems and procedures in place, particularly in the areas of revenue recognition; processing of accounts payable; prepaid expenses; and inventory costing and management; (ii) systems and processes to support timely preparation of financial statements for compliance with U.S. GAAP and SEC; (iii) policies and procedures to ensure the appropriate review and approval of user access rights to our accounting system; and lack of approval of journal entries and segregation of duties in our financial reporting process; and (iv) safeguards in our information technology infrastructure required by the COBIT framework. Weaver has discussed these matters with the Audit Committee, and the Company authorized Weaver to fully respond to any inquiries by CohnReznick concerning these matters.
Prior to the engagement of Daszkal, neither the Company nor anyone on its behalf consulted Daszkal regarding either (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, and neither a written report nor oral advice was provided to the Company that was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to any accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue, or (ii) any matter that was either the subject of a “disagreement” or a “reportable event,” each as defined in Regulation S-K Item 304(a)(1)(iv) and 304(a)(1)(v), respectively.
On October 27, 2023, the Company was notified that its current independent registered public accounting firm, CohnReznick LLP (“CohnReznick”), is resigning, without cause, effective November 22, 2023. Legacy engaged CohnReznick on May 9, 2023 (the “Engagement Date”), following CohnReznick’s acquisition of Legacy’s prior independent registered public accounting firm, Daszkal Bolton LLP (“Daszkal”), on March 1, 2023.
Since the Engagement Date, and through the date of this proxy statement, there have been (i) no disagreements (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions) between the Company and CohnReznick on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which, if not resolved to CohnReznick’s satisfaction, would have caused CohnReznick to make reference thereto in its reports on the financial statements for such period; and (ii) no “reportable events” within the meaning of Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K, except that CohnReznick advised the Company of material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2023. These material weaknesses were first disclosed in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended December 31, 2022, and although the Company has implemented a remediation plan to address these material weaknesses, the Company’s enhanced controls have not operated for a sufficient period of time to demonstrate that the material weakness have been remediated as of June 30, 2023.
The Company is currently in the client acceptance process with a new independent registered public accounting firm and expects to have one retained prior to CohnReznick’s resignation.