Not that I am a glutton for punishment, but I always find enforcement actions to supply a number of valuable lessons learned. There are always instructive nuggets of information, opportunities missed, and root causes that highlight important compliance messaging and principles. Wells Fargo has unintentionally provided a variety of these important lessons — not from positive behaviors but from a laundry list of violations that...

In our lifetime (however long or short), there is no way any company will ever match Wells Fargo for its record of misconduct, criminal and civil enforcement, and regulatory fines and penalties.  No one, no way. Wells Fargo added to its Grand Slam of Enforcement with its recent settlement of OFAC violations and paid $30 million to settle the matter. Wells Fargo is a one-entity...

The Justice Department is continuing its push to encourage to encourage companies to voluntarily disclose FCPA misconduct. In its latest declination, DOJ settled with Corsa Coal for its bribery scheme in Egypt. Under the declination, Corsa Coal paid $1.2 million in disgorgement and earned a significant reduction from DOJ because of its inability to pay. The SEC recently settled two separate enforcement actions, one against...

I was honored to join Susan Divers from LRN to discuss how corporate boards are facing today’s global, regulatory Issues. The Podcast is available HERE. Corporate boards are feeling more pressure than ever from a variety of stakeholders—government prosecutors and regulators, institutional investors, corporate activists, consumers, and others seeking responsible change in an ever-changing global economy. As the concept of both corporate and individual accountability...

If there ever is an example of a rotten corporate culture, Wells Fargo sits at the head of the class.  Since Wells Fargo’s sales pressure scandal, Wells Fargo has continued to suffer from a string of scandals and misconduct.  Along the way, and notwithstanding spending millions on lawyers, consultants, accountants and other professionals to fix its culture and controls, Wells Fargo still has not recovered. ...

Rio Tinto, the global mining and metals company, agreed to pay the SEC $15 million to settle FCPA violations arising from an alleged bribery scheme involving a senior Guinean government official. Between 1997 and 2006, Rio Tinto was granted mining and exploration rights to four section blocks in the Simandou mountain region.  In late 2008, after a change in administrations, the Guinea Government revoked Raio...

Flutter Entertainment, the previous owner of PokerStars, agreed to pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $4 million for improper payments to Russian-based consultants, stemming from conduct committed by The Stars Group, PokerStars previous owner.  Flutter purchased PokerStars in 2020. Flutter is an Ireland-based global gaming and sports betting company. Flutter was tagged with the FCPA violations committed by the Stars Group prior to Flutter’s acquisition. ...

The Justice Department is rapidly pushing corporations to a new level of compliance.  We are witnessing a watershed moment – DOJ is raising the bar on expectations surrounding corporate compliance programs.  It would be a mistake, however, to interpret DOJ’s recent changes as limited to compliance compensation and preservation  of internal communications data. When considered together, the changes to the Corporate Enforcement Policy, the Evaluation...

Alex Cotoia, Regulatory Manager at The Volkov Law Group, recently was featured on Tom Fox’s Diligent Podcast Series focused on Third-Party Risk Management. The Podcast is available HERE. In 2022, the overwhelming majority of FCPA related enforcement actions involved third parties and required organizations to reprioritize third party risk management. In this episode, Alex and Tom consider case studies involving ABB Limited, GOL Airlines and...

I was honored to appear on Adam Turteltaub’s Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE’s) Podcast to discuss significant compliance events in 2022 and trends for 2023. Adam’s Introduction: A lot happened in compliance in 2022, with a large number of lessons for 2023. To sort it out we turned to Michael Volkov, of the Volkov Law Group and host of the Corruption, Crime & Compliance blog and podcast....