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 U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said Wednesday it fined Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. $4.2 million after a subsidiary based in Turkey knowingly violated OFAC’s sanctions against Iran.… Continue Reading
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new advisory Thursday warning banks, insurance companies, negotiators and others about sanctions risks from helping victims make ransomware payments.… Continue Reading
Earlier this year the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control published A Framework for OFAC Compliance Commitments. It describes essential components of a sanctions compliance program (management commitment, risk assessment, internal controls, testing and auditing, and training).… Continue Reading
Quad/Graphics Inc. agreed Thursday to pay the SEC nearly $10 million to settle violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for long-running bribery schemes and cover-ups in Peru and China.
The Sussex, Wisconsin print and digital marketing company disgorged $6.9 million and prejudgment interest of about $960,000, and agreed to pay a civil penalty of $2 million.… Continue Reading
Société Générale SA resolved U.S. trade sanction violations Monday by entering into two deferred prosecution agreements and paying $1.34 billion in penalties to federal and state authorities.
Paris-based SocGen — the third biggest French bank — admitted that it violated sanctions on Cuba, Iran, and Sudan.… Continue Reading
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said a deal the Administration has reached with China’s ZTE to restore its U.S. trading rights includes creating a new compliance department that’s staffed with American compliance officers.… Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday that oil services company Weatherford International paid a $140 million penalty to settle charges that it inflated earnings by using deceptive income tax accounting. … Continue Reading
Federal and New York authorities said Wednesday that Deutsche Bank will pay $258 million and fire six senior employees to resolve investigations into thousands of illegal transactions with customers in Iran, Libya, Syria, Myanmar, and Sudan.… Continue Reading
French bank Crédit Agricole will pay $787 million and hire an independent monitor after violating U.S. sanctions against Sudan, Iran, Myanmar, and Cuba between 2003 and 2008.
The bank will also fire a managing director involved in the violations of U.S.… Continue Reading
Zurich-based UBS AG agreed to pay just over $1.7 million to resolve civil allegations that it processed 222 transactions for a client that apparently violated U.S. anti-terrorism sanctions.
“Multiple business lines and personnel within UBS, including supervisory and management staff within the bank’s compliance department, had actual knowledge of the conduct that led to the apparent violations,” the U.S.… Continue Reading
Paris-based BNP Paribas S.A. was sentenced Friday for processing billions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Sudanese, Iranian and Cuban entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions. … Continue Reading
PayPal will pay $7.7 million to settle charges by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control that it violated trade sanctions against Iran, Sudan, and Cuba.
EBay owns PayPal but plans to spin off the electronic payments firm sometime this year.… Continue Reading