Episode 66 -- Gifts and Hospitality Compliance and Best Practices
Day 11 of One Month to More Effective Internal Controls-Internal Controls for Gifts, Travel and Entertainment
FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report-Episode 165-BHP FCPA Enforcement and Lessons Learned for the Compliance Practitioner
2024 saw another strong year of Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). There were 15 resolutions with...more
In today’s heightened enforcement environment, compliance auditing isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity. Federal and state laws and industry guidance, including the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Compliance Program...more
We recently had a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action that reminded me that everything old is new again in anti-corruption compliance. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) FCPA enforcement action...more
Bricker Graydon is pleased to present a refresher on Ohio ethics laws, campaign finance compliance, and a presentation from the Ohio Secretary of State about the Secretary’s public integrity division, which was created in...more
Our panelists will provide a series of presentations covering Ohio's ethics and campaign finance laws. Topics include recent advisory opinions, election trends, and legislative ethics updates in preparation for the upcoming...more
It’s the holiday season and your company’s purchasing manager received a bottle of wine from a longtime vendor. You think, “No problem, it’s just a bottle of wine.” A week later you learn that it was actually an extremely...more
As summer turns to fall, like most Ohioans, you start looking ahead to football season. Whether you’re a diehard OSU fan or cheer on the Bengals or Browns, no doubt you’ll be getting in some tailgating this season....more
When it comes to selecting and retaining plan providers, what you have to do as a plan sponsor is to make sure that it’s done on the up and up. You have to demonstrate that the decision was prudent and was a proper exercise...more
As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and returns to the new normal, in-person conferences have also returned from their hiatus. Accordingly, it is an appropriate time to review ethics laws regarding public...more
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently released Chief Counsel Advice (CCA) 2021-17-012 to explain that sole proprietor flights are generally not subject to the employer-provided aircraft rules in Internal Revenue Code...more
The Ninth Circuit in Magadia v. Wal-Mart Associates, Inc., No. 19-16184 (May 28, 2021) (“Magadia”), recently provided what is perhaps the first hopeful road map for employers to defend themselves against PAGA claims since a...more
If one were to reflect upon the providing of gifts and business entertainment to foreign governmental officials, one might reasonably conclude that after 40 years of the FCPA, companies might follow its prescriptions...more
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the 50% deduction for any expenses related to business entertainment, amusement or recreation activities but preserved the 50% deduction for business expenses related to food and...more
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA”) eliminated the 50% deduction for any expenses related to business entertainment, amusement or recreation activities. Taxpayers may, however, still deduct business expenses related...more
Q: We are a public entity employer that is considered “essential” during the pandemic. A local bank wanted to give our employees gift cards to recognize their service to our community. Is this a problem because they are...more
Companies should identify and, where appropriate, manage risk associated with gifts and entertainment by incorporating a clear policy into their overall corporate compliance strategy. On September 11, 2020, the French...more
Herbalife’s FCPA settlement is another one for books – the wreckage left includes two criminal indictments for Chinese officials who may never be apprehended, along with $123 million in penalties....more
- A tone-at-the-top business culture with CEO leadership is a critical component of effective anti-corruption and anti-bribery policy implementation. - CEO leadership helps set an example for lower management and company...more
On July 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) jointly released the second edition of the “Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” which was...more
Innovation in compliance can come in many forms. One such form was described by Vincent M. Walden, Managing Director at Alvarez and Marsal Holdings, LLC (A&M), in his article entitled “Profit & Loss-of-One”(P&L-of-One). In...more
On February 26, 2020, the IRS published proposed regulations implementing changes made by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) regarding the elimination of deductions for entertainment and the limitation on food and...more
On December 6, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to resolve allegations that multinational telecommunications company Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Ericsson or...more
A key analysis is whether there are controls in place to enforce the policies and whether those controls are documented. To help to answer this query, there are four issues to evaluate...more
Ericsson’s FCPA settlement is in the books (not the books and records). But it casts a significant shadow across the FCPA landscape. A pervasive and systemic culture of bribery is defined to reflect senior executive...more