I. New Executive Order Bans U.S. Investment in Russia -
On April 6, 2022, President Biden issued a new Executive Order, “Prohibiting New Investment in and Certain Services to the Russian Federation in Response to...more
4/8/2022
/ Asset Freeze ,
Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ransomware ,
Russia
U.S. Sanctions -
The U.S. continued to expand its Russia-related sanctions with new additions to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (“SDN List”) made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office...more
On March 11, 2022, President Biden signed a new Russia-related Executive Order, Prohibiting Certain Imports, Exports, and New Investment with Respect to Continued Russian Federation Aggression (“March 11 E.O.”)....more
3/16/2022
/ Belarus ,
Biden Administration ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Entity List ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Investment ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Vladimir Putin
I. Biden Administration Import and Investment Ban Related to Russian Energy -
On March 8, 2022, the Biden administration announced its widely anticipated ban on the import of Russian oil and other energy-related...more
3/14/2022
/ Belarus ,
Biden Administration ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
General Licenses ,
Imports ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Russia ,
UK ,
Ukraine
Key Takeaways:
• U.S. imposes additional sanctions on Russian elites, along with their family members, companies, and personal vehicles
• Actions targeting the defense sector and Russian government-affiliated media...more
3/8/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Transactions ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
SWIFT ,
Ukraine
On February 28, 2022, the U.S. government announced new sanctions on the Central Bank of Russia, National Wealth Fund, Ministry of Finance, and Russian Direct Investment Fund, dramatically increasing the economic impact of...more
3/2/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Transactions ,
Foreign Currency ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Ukraine
As we had reported in our earlier client alert and 2022 Year in Preview, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a new wave of sanctions and export controls on Russia, including sanctions on key sectors of the Russian...more
2/28/2022
/ Australia ,
Canada ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Japan ,
Licensing Rules ,
New Zealand ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Sovereign Debt ,
UK ,
Ukraine ,
Vladimir Putin
This is the fifth post in this year’s series examining important trends in white collar law and investigations. Our previous post discussed trends in State AG enforcement. Up next: SEC Enforcement in 2022: A Look Ahead. ...more
2/25/2022
/ Afghanistan ,
Belarus ,
Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Burma ,
Cambodia ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Cuba ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement ,
Ethiopia ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Human Rights ,
International Criminal Court ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITAR ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Myanmar ,
Nicaragua ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sudan ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) ,
Venezuela ,
Virtual Currency ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
For months, the Biden administration and the governments of U.S. allies around the world have raised concerns about Russian actions in the region. In the same breath, those governments have warned of massive, coordinated...more
2/18/2022
/ Aerospace ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Belarus Sanctions ,
Biden Administration ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Direct Product Rule ,
Investment Controls ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
SWIFT ,
UK ,
Ukraine
This is the second post in this year’s series examining important trends and new development in white collar law and investigations. Our previous post discussed health care enforcement. Up next: trends in tax...more
2/17/2022
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Biden Administration ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Foreign Governments ,
Internal Controls ,
Money Laundering ,
OECD ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
White Collar Crimes
On November 3, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) added two Israeli entities to the Entity List due to malicious cyber activities. In its press release, BIS stated that the...more
11/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Israel ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List
The U.S Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has published guidance to aid members of the virtual currency industry (ranging from tech companies to brokers to users) in complying with OFAC...more
In response to a request from the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) provided export license statistics related to Chinese firms Huawei...more
As we anticipated last spring, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has signaled that it will utilize civil enforcement of the False Claims Act (FCA) to address new and emerging cybersecurity threats. On October 6, 2021, Deputy...more
10/18/2021
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Fraud ,
Ransomware
Effective October 5, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released a final rule applying export controls to software (a) designed for certain nucleic acid assemblers and synthesizers...more
Ransomware payments continue to be a focus of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). As previously reported by Foley Hoag, on October 1, 2020, OFAC released an advisory regarding potential...more
10/1/2021
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Ransomware ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Treasury
New CBP Withhold Release Order Again Targets Forced Labor in the Seafood Industry August 10, 2021 On August 4, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) released a Withhold Release Order (“WRO”) on tuna and other...more
As predicted in our recent article in Power Magazine related to international trade risks facing the clean energy industry, the Biden administration took action against several Chinese companies involved in the solar power...more
Sales of your software are robust around the globe. You have a network of third-party resellers, distributors or implementation partners that are driving international growth. Your customers praise your efficient maintenance...more
5/20/2021
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Export Controls ,
Germany ,
Investigations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Non-Prosecution Agreements ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanctions ,
SAP SE ,
Settlement ,
Software ,
Voluntary Disclosure
This is the third in our First 100 Days series examining important trends in white collar law and investigations in the early days of the Biden administration. Our previous entry discussed sanctions and export control trends....more
3/19/2021
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Asia ,
Biden Administration ,
CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
France ,
Latin America ,
NDAA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
UK ,
White Collar Crimes
On January 1, 2021, Congress overrode President Trump’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (the "NDAA"), enacting the legislation into law. The NDAA includes the Corporate Transparency Act...more
2/3/2021
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Customers ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
NDAA ,
Presidential Veto ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trump Administration
On October 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released an advisory regarding potential sanctions risks related to facilitating ransomware payments...
OFAC is the federal...more
10/16/2020
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
FCPA Guidance ,
Hackers ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Malware ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Risk Factors ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
TWEA
On July 3, 2020, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released the Second Edition of their Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “Resource Guide”). As...more
7/7/2020
/ Aiding and Abetting ,
Bribery ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disgorgement ,
FCPA Guidance ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Mens Rea ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Statute of Limitations
Editors’ Note: This is the third in our start-of-year series examining important trends in white collar law and investigations in the coming year. Our previous entry discussed healthcare fraud in 2020. Up next: a look at...more
1/13/2020
/ Bribery ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy (CEP) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Government Officials ,
Internal Controls ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
White Collar Crimes
In December, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the release of a new policy for business organizations regarding voluntary self-disclosures of export control and sanctions violations. The new Policy makes explicit that...more