Prosecuting white collar crimes is a “mind game” in more ways than one. This is another in my long series of profound grasps of the obvious. As a former federal prosecutor, the difference between a crime and compliant behavior often turns on the specific mind or intent of the actor. Unless you are a mind reader (i.e. Kreskin for you boomers), this is often a...
UniControl, Inc., a Cleveland, Ohio manufacturer of process controls, airflow pressure switches, boiler controls and other instruments, agreed to pay OFAC $216,464 to settle its liabilities for violation of the Iran Sanctions Program. UniControl exported 19 shipments of its goods to two European countries with reason to know that the goods were intended for delivery to Iran end users. In addition, UniControl exported two shipments...
Companies continue to face significant risks from their third parties. In response, companies are implementing sophisticated due diligence and third party risk management systems. FCPA enforcement risks are only one of several risks created by a company’s third parties. Companies have to screen and review their third parties for corruption, sanctions, money laundering, antitrust, human trafficking, child labor and reputational risks. In this three-part series,...
If you review the last ten years of FCPA enforcement, the unmistakable pattern is rising expectations with regard to corporate compliance programs, particularly with regard to third party due diligence and risk management. Over the course of numerous enforcement actions, DOJ and the SEC have reached the point now where they are questioning not just the conduct of due diligence but the quality of due...
There are a number of important lessons from the Och-Ziff enforcement action, some of which are related to the private equity and hedge fund industry and some of which apply across all businesses. SEC regulations require public companies to design and implement a system of internal controls. As FCPA enforcement has increased, companies have to question how to design and implement an effective system of...
The SEC’s FCPA enforcement action for $14.6 million against Bristol-Myers Squibb (“BMS”) in China provides a textbook example of how things can go wrong in China. For the compliance practitioner (as well as CEO and senior executives) in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, the BMS enforcement action should be read and digested as a quick checklist of important principles. The facts underlying the BMS...
