Veritas to pay $30M to settle SEC case

Veritas Software has agreed to pay $30 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle charges that it engaged in fraudulent accounting practices and aided Time Warner’s America Online (AOL) in committing fraud.

Veritas, which Symantec purchased on July 2, 2005, agreed to pay the fine “without admitting or denying the allegations,” according to an SEC filing this week. The allegations were contained in a complaint with the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.

A spokeswoman from a Symantec public relations agency confirmed the fine Friday and said the funds had already been set aside in reserve as part of Symantec’s acquisition of Veritas. Symantec itself was not named in the SEC complaint, she noted. Company officials were not immediately available for further comment.

The fine stems from an inquiry opened four years ago into a secret deal between Veritas and AOL. That deal involved the exchange of software licenses and advertising, and raised each company’s revenue by $20 million. Both companies subsequently restated revenue numbers to erase the gains from the deal.

Even as it settles its beef with the SEC, Symantec’s Veritas is still embroiled in a battle with another government agency, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The IRS is seeking more than $757 million in back taxes the agency claims Veritas owes, as well as $303 million in penalties. Symantec is disputing the charges.