meals Archives - Corruption, Crime & Compliance

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25 Apr, 2018

FCPA Compliance: Automation and Mitigating Gifts, Meals, Entertainment and Travel Expenditures Risks (Part III of V)

The laundry list of companies that have been prosecuted for FCPA violations surrounding gifts, meals, entertainment and travel expenditures is lengthy. Consider just two examples: In SEC v. Diageo (2011) (copy Here), Diageo agreed to a $16 million settlement for a variety of illegal bribe payments and GMET expenses, including $64,184 spent on rice cakes and other gifts for the South Korean military over a four-year...

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23 Feb, 2016

PTC Settlement: Compliance Reminders for Internal Controls, Travel and Gifts

PTC, a Massachusetts software company, reached settlements with the SEC and DOJ last week for FCPA violations for a total of $28 million. Interestingly, the SEC announced a DPA with a PTC official who assisted in the investigation. DOJ also reappeared on the FCPA enforcement radar with a non-prosecution agreement and collection of a $14 million fine. The SEC reached a $14 million settlement with...

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4 Jun, 2015

Encouraging Employees to Break the “Rules” to Do the Right Thing

Lauren Connell of The Volkov Law Group joins us again for a posting about corruption and gifts and hospitality. Her profile is here and she can be reached at [email protected]. Laws and regulations draw black lines in often-gray areas. That is their purpose; they exist to make it easier to tell what is “wrong” and what is “right” (as defined by whoever made the law)....

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26 May, 2015

Gifts, Meals and Prosecution: BHP Billiton’s Settlement

The SEC is on a mission – companies that engage in egregious payment schemes for gifts, hospitality and travel are going to get prosecuted for civil FCPA violations. Recent SEC enforcement actions against companies continue, and BHP Billiton’s settlement last week is another example of the SEC’s prosecution strategy. BHP Billiton agreed to pay a $25 million penalty to settle SEC charges for internal controls...