In a landmark action on December 3, 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) announced resolution of its first enforcement action involving foreign corruption by issuing an order and settling charges against...more
Today, I continue a multi-part exploration of one world’s largest anti-corruption enforcement actions, the J&F Investimentos SA (J&F) matter. It involved huge fines and penalties in both Brazil and the United States. Of...more
Last week, I began a multi-part exploration of one world’s largest anti-corruption enforcement actions, the J&F Investimentos SA (J&F) matter. It involved huge fines and penalties in both Brazil and the United States. Of...more
Eddie Van Halen died yesterday. He is the first rocker, more or less, of my generation to die after the age of 60. He was also one of the greatest guitarists ever. Indeed, I would rank him as the best guitarist of his...more
We rarely have seen a single Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action generate so many individual criminal pleas. The Sargeant Marine Inc. (Sargeant Marine) case is an exception. To date, there have been six...more
On August 14, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released its first Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) Opinion (the “August 14 Opinion”) in six years, in response to a request from a multinational company...more
On August 14, 2020, the US Department of Justice (the DOJ) issued its first Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Opinion Procedure Release in six years, which relayed that it did not intend to pursue an enforcement action...more
For the first time in six years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has released an Opinion Release, denominated 20-01. At first blush it appears to be a straight-forward recitation of the equivalent of black letter law in the...more
Exporters and US importers of goods claiming Vietnamese origin face increasing risk. President Trump recently indicated his administration will pay close attention to goods exported from Vietnam, including those suspected of...more
In today’s blog post, I want to look at some of the more unusual bribery schemes from Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions in 2019. Some of these schemes were not unusual but they were accomplished with...more
This update outlines the current trends in China’s bankruptcy filings based on surveys and data of bankruptcy court cases released by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) in the past five years. Historically, China’s economy...more
On June 12, 2019, the World Bank announced that China-based Dongfang Electronics Co. Ltd. (“Dongfang”) would be debarred for fifteen (15) months for fraudulently bidding on a $60 million electrical expansion project in...more
• Four years ago, Brazilian authorities began Operation Car Wash, a wide-ranging and still ongoing corruption and money laundering investigation that has spanned 11 countries. • The fallout continues with a recent U.S....more
Enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) again remained a high priority for the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2017, resulting in 11 companies paying over $1.92 billion to...more
In October 2017 at the Chinese Communist Party National Congress, President Xi Jinping consolidated his hold on power and cemented himself as what many commentators are calling the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao...more
When most people across the globe think of Rolls-Royce, one word comes to mind – excellence. Yet that image largely relates to Rolls-Royce Limited, the automobile manufacturer, which was founded in 1909. Just a few years...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action against an individual earlier this month when it announced the resolution of a matter involving Jun Ping Zhang,...more
The private equity industry is facing increased scrutiny by the U.S. Government for potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has created a new private...more
On February 16, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced parallel resolutions with PTC Inc, (formerly Parametric Technology Corporation), a Massachusetts based software...more
Despite a decline in enforcement actions by the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), the first half of 2015 has continued to highlight the relevance and ever-evolving effects of the...more
When does bribery and corruption move from a business issue to a political issue to a national issue? Why should US companies be held to the gold standard of anti-corruption laws? Should the US government even care if US...more