Corruption, Crime & Compliance

Featured Articles:

17 Mar, 2022

DOJ Charges United States/Russian National with Acting as an Illegal Agent under FARA

In another action targeting Russian actors and connections, the Justice Department indicted Elena Branson, a dual United States-Russian national with criminal evasion of Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”) registration requirements while working on behalf of high-level Russian officials. Specifically, Branson assisted high-level Russian officials by coordinating meetings for Russian officials to lobby United States political officials and business persons, and by operating organizations to promote...

General

16 Mar, 2022

How to Avoid Sanctions Liability Following a Ransomware Attack

Matt Stankiewicz, Partner at The Volkov Law Group, joins us for an interesting post on ransomware and OFAC sanctions compliance. Matt can be reached at [email protected]. Ransomware attacks are on the rise and companies everywhere should be taking action to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses and resiliency to ensure their internal systems are able to withstand cybercrime attacks. Cybercriminals are exceedingly sophisticated, some groups even maintain...

General

15 Mar, 2022

Compliance by Fear: An “Old” Mindset

Compliance and ethical culture mandates have experienced a significant transformation. From the early days of compliance, organizations pigeon-holed compliance into a role akin to “law enforcement.” I will always recall meeting with a client years ago and when the CCO walked into the room, a senior executive exclaimed, “Uh, oh, the sheriff is in town.” That was not a good sign. Compliance by fear is...

Podcasts

13 Mar, 2022

Episode 228 — Update on Russia Sanctions and Export Controls

The continuing crisis in Ukraine has resulted in additional sanctions and export controls. It is hard to keep up with new developments each day. In recent steps, the United States has adopted a comprehensive set of export controls and implemented a ban on import of Russian oil, gas and coal. In this Episode, Michael Volkov reviews the recent changes to the Russia sanctions and export...

General

10 Mar, 2022

DOJ Continues Pace of Healthcare Fraud False Claims Act Prosecutions

False Claims Act prosecutions continue against healthcare executives, physicians and professionals. Last year, DOJ recovered over $5.6 billion in FCA enforcement. DOJ expects total recoveries to increase in 2022. Over 95 percent of False Claims Act prosecutions involved healthcare fraud and kickbacks. Two Doctors and Eight Others Indicted for Healthcare Kickbacks In a recent prosecution in the Northern District of Texas, DOJ announced the indictment...

General

9 Mar, 2022

The Force Multiplier: Ethics and Sustainability

The rise of ESG programs did not just come out of thin air. Frankly, in many respects, ESG tied together important trends relating to sustainability, social justice, reputational damage and climate change. Many organizations involved in the extractive industries already had elevated sustainability as an important priority. Indeed, for years, a number of these organizations issued annual sustainability reports. With increasing focus on environmental and...

General

9 Mar, 2022

United States and United Kingdom Move to Prohibit Russian Oil and Gas Imports

In a much-anticipated action, President Biden announced a prohibition on all Russian oil and gas imports. The United States relies on Russia oil for approximately 8 percent of its needs. Simultaneously, the United Kingdom announced it will reduce oil and gas imports from Russia over the next nine months. The UK relies on Russian oil and gas imports for approximately 18 percent of its energy...

General

6 Mar, 2022

DOJ Enforcement and Compliance with the New Russian Sanctions

The Department of Justice has announced its plan to aggressively enforce the new Russia Sanctions Program. In response to the dire humanitarian situation in the Ukraine, DOJ took two significant actions – creation of the KleptoCapture Task Force and a commitment to enforcement of the Russia sanctions and export control. DOJ’s second statement of intent is significant. DOJ’s record of criminal enforcement of prior sanctions...

Events

6 Mar, 2022

NAVEX and Volkov Law Webinar — Russia Sanctions: Impact on Your Third Party Compliance

Webinar — Russia Sanctions: Impact on Your Third Party Compliance Tuesday, March 15, 2022, 1 pm EST Sign Up HERE The Volkov Law Group is pleased to announce an upcoming webinar sponsored by NAVEX on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at 1 pm EST (10 am PST). Michael Volkov and Jesica Sanderson from The Volkov Law Group will be conducting the webinar. The Russia-Ukraine crisis has...