In the Courts
August 01, 2016
Discussion of a case in which the Supreme Court vacated the conviction of ex-Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.
Recent Guidance Regarding Deduction of Fines
August 01, 2016
Internal Revenue Code ' 162 provides: "No deduction shall be allowed under subsection (a) for any fine or similar penalty paid to a government for the violation of any law." The controversies that continue to arise under ' 162(f) are illustrated by two memoranda released within the past few months.
Foreign Whistleblowers Fuel SEC Enforcement Activity, Raising the Stakes for Global Corporate Compliance
July 01, 2016
An "eligible" whistleblower is a person who voluntarily provides original information about a possible violation of the federal securities laws that has occurred, is ongoing, or is about to occur. If that information leads to a successful SEC action resulting in an order of monetary sanctions over $1 million, the whistleblower(s) can collect their bounty. Over the lifetime of the program, the SEC has addressed more than 390 award claims and has awarded more than $67 million to 29 individuals, known as claimants, in connection with 16 actions.
Antitrust and Corruption
July 01, 2016
In March 2016, nine Brazilian executives received prison sentences from a Brazilian court ranging from 10 to 19 years for their roles in the $35 million Petrobras Scandal, a scheme among construction and engineering companies to submit fraudulent bids to, and bribe agents of, the state-owned oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras). Several former Petrobras directors and a manager were also sentenced, some to more than 20 years in prison.
Bonus Compensation Clawbacks
July 01, 2016
In an emerging trend, chief executive officers and chief financial officers of companies settling U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) financial reporting cases are personally paying back bonuses and other incentive-based compensation, despite the absence of accusations of personal misconduct or formal SEC actions against them individually.
Business Crimes Hotline
July 01, 2016
The IRS released a Chief Counsel Advice holding that disgorgement, the remedy commonly used to generate large monetary settlements in white-collar enforcement actions with the Securities SEC, was not tax deductible.
In the Courts
July 01, 2016
Discussion about the Supreme Court of Canada Issuing a landmark ruling.
In the Courts
June 01, 2016
On April 8, the Seventh Circuit reversed the conviction and ordered the acquittal of David Weimert, a former executive at AnchorBank, on five counts of wire fraud related to a real estate deal he negotiated in 2009. Here's a look at the ruling.
Third-Party Intermediary FCPA Exposures
June 01, 2016
In last month's newsletter, the author shone a light on the risk that a third party ' like a consultant, agent, broker or distributor ' will involve the company in activities that could expose it to liability for violations of the the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the government's primary weapon against bribery of foreign officials. That discussion concludes herein.
