News and commentary about white-collar crime, enforcement, and compliance
Harry Cassin
Publisher and Editor
Andy Spalding
Senior Editor
Jessica Tillipman
Senior Editor
Bill Steinman
Senior Editor
Richard L. Cassin
Editor at Large
Elizabeth K. Spahn
Editor Emeritus
Cody Worthington
Contributing Editor
Julie DiMauro
Contributing Editor
Thomas Fox
Contributing Editor
Marc Alain Bohn
Contributing Editor
Bill Waite
Contributing Editor
Russell A. Stamets
Contributing Editor
Richard Bistrong
Contributing Editor
Eric Carlson
Contributing Editor
The Department of Justice published a new Opinion Procedure Release (23-02) related to a training events and logistical support company meeting a U.S. government task order as part of a contract that required it to provide logistical support for foreign government personnel.… Continue Reading
The Department of Justice published a new Opinion Procedure Release (23-01) related to an adoption services company meeting a foreign government requirement to provide annual travel to officials to visit with some families that have adopted children from the foreign country “to ensure the success of the adoptions.”… Continue Reading
Many an in-house compliance professional has spent a weekend (or ten) consumed with handling the tricky questions presented when an employee finds themselves incarcerated in one emerging market or another. It is unclear, especially at first, whether the arrest was justified in most cases.… Continue Reading
On January 21, the Department of Justice issued a new Opinion Procedure Release addressing a terrible situation – a company employee faces physical harm or duress in a foreign jurisdiction, and the only way to help them is to pay a bribe.… Continue Reading
The SEC guards the integrity of U.S. markets and protects investors by requiring issuers to disclose material information about themselves and their directors and officers. However, the SEC doesn’t tell anyone what to say or how to say it.… Continue Reading
We at the FCPA Blog are long overdue in recognizing the new resource that is the Global Anticorruption Blog. With my colleague in the legal academy, Harvard Law professor Matthew Stephenson, at the helm, GAB analyzes corruption law issues with uncommon intellectual rigor.… Continue Reading
Recently, I had the good fortune of hearing a partner from a leading FCPA practice discuss JP Morgan’s hiring of Chinese princelings.
Although this conduct had always seemed to me a FCPA violation, it occurred to me at that moment that I wasn’t sure exactly how it violated the FCPA.… Continue Reading
The DOJ issued its first FCPA opinion procedure release of the year on March 17 (and posted it to its website nearly a week later).
The opinion request came from “a United States financial services company and investment bank,” the DOJ said.… Continue Reading
On December 19, the Justice Department published FCPA Opinion Procedure Release No. 13-01, ruling that a law firm partner could pay some medical expenses of foreign official’s daughter.
The lawyer’s firm billed the foreign country over $2 million for the past 18 months, and expects to bill the same amount in 2014.… Continue Reading
As Mike Koehler noted yesterday, the DOJ has issued its first Opinion Procedure Release of 2012.
The release is dated September 18 but didn’t appear on the DOJ’s website until this week.… Continue Reading
A few years ago, after a dozen or so enterprising law students asked me what FCPA-related topics were ripe for research, I answered with a post on the FCPA Blog.
My suggestions included: (1) respondeat superior—the legal doctrine imputing to corporate employers the criminal acts of employees; (2) the sad state of the Department of Justice’s Opinion Procedure Releases; and (3) the confusing condition of the FCPA’s promotional-expenses affirmative defense.… Continue Reading
In its first FCPA Opinion Procedure Release of 2011, the DOJ confirmed what should be obvious — that the promotional expenses affirmative defense can be used to pay travel expenses of government officials who are being shown a company’s products.… Continue Reading