What happens when a Chief Executive Officer becomes the architect of a global bribery scheme? In this episode of Corruption, Crime, and Compliance, Michael Volkov delivers an in-depth analysis of the BIT Mining FCPA case — a landmark matter that underscores the severe consequences of C-suite misconduct. With CEO Zhengmin Pan at the center of the conspiracy, BIT Mining’s efforts to infiltrate Japan’s emerging casino...
Telefónica Venezolana C.A. (“Telefónica Venezolana”), the Venezuela-based subsidiary of Telefónica S.A. (Telefónica), the Spanish telecommunications company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (“DPA”) and agreed to pay over $85.2 million to resolve DOJ FCPA charges stemming from bribery payments to Venezuelan government officials to secure preferential access to U.S. dollars in a currency auction. Telefónica Venezolana entered into a three-year DPA and the filing of a...
LRN consistently provides high-quality reports and important insights on ethics and compliance trends. Each year, LRN’s Program Effectiveness Report is anticipated as an important source of cutting-edge ethics and compliance initiatives. LRN’s Code of Conduct Report includes a number of important benchmarks for companies to use as a measure of their compliance programs. In its most recent report, LRN cites a number of important findings...
As the dust settles on the U.S. Election, companies are quickly analyzing the implications for the economy, business environment, new enforcement priorities and compliance implications. When new Administrations come into power, change is inevitable. Given the change with President Trump’s return to the White House, and in light of several of his stated intentions, companies should prepare for this new environment. The Trump Administration’s priorities...
Raytheon Company (Raytheon) — a subsidiary of defense contractor, RTX (formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corporation) — agreed to pay over $950 million to resolve the Justice Department’s investigations into: (i) a major government fraud scheme involving defective pricing on certain government contracts; (ii) violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA); and (iii) the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and its implementing regulations, the International Traffic...
The SEC notched another FCPA settlement, continuing its steady pursuit and resolution of FCPA cases. In the meantime, the Justice Department has been silent in the FCPA enforcement arena. In its latest settlement, Moog, Inc. (“Moog”), a New York-based global manufacturer of motion controls systems for aerospace, defense, industrial and medical markets, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.1 million and disgorge nearly $600,000,...
In yet another reminder of the scope of Justice Department enforcement powers, and an important demonstration of the risks of non-compliance, the Justice Department and relevant banking agencies announced a $3 billion settlement with TD Bank companies to resolve systemic and pervasive Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) and money laundering violations. In addition to the financial settlement, TD Bank US Holding Company (TDBUSH) (together with TDBNA,...
Corporate compliance staff often conduct internal site visits and reviews. Since the pandemic and the development of remote technology, compliance officers have reduced the number of site visits. In recent years, compliance staff arre slowly increasing the number of site visits and reviews. These site visits permit compliance staff to review important issues: (1) personnel interviews; (2) transaction testing and vendor reviews; (3) ethics and...
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has been aggressively pursuing civil enforcement actions. While criminal enforcement of antitrust laws has been depressed, DOJ has found success in pursuing civil and merger enforcement. DOJ recently won a significant victory against Google for its monopolization of the search market. DOJ has now turned its attention outside of technology markets by filing suit against Visa for its dominance of...
The Justice Department announced yet another version of its Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs. As everyone knows, the Justice Department’s guidance carries talismanic significance — it is an important document that provides important direction on the design and implementation of an effective compliance program. DOJ understands the importance of this document. In recognition of evolving technology and compliance program innovations, DOJ updated its guidance to...
