In recent remarks, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced significant revisions to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) policies for enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The policy revisions make permanent many of the aspects of the FCPA Pilot Program which began in 2016 and sought encourage voluntary self-disclosures of FCPA violations by formalizing the
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
Second Circuit Limits FCPA Enforcement Tools
In its recent decision in United States v. Allen, 16-cr-898, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that testimony which is compelled pursuant to laws of foreign jurisdictions violates the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when used as part of a U.S. prosecution. The ruling may have a far-reaching impact on the U.S. Department…
Complex FCPA Plea Agreement Gives Federal Court Pause

On June 16, 2016, Teva Pharmaceutical’s Russian subsidiary (Teva LLC) pled guilty to one count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Judge Kathleen M. Williams of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida hesitated, however, in…
Are Siemens’ FCPA Compliance Efforts Public Information?
In 2008, global technology giant Siemens Aktiengesellschaft (“Siemens”) pleaded guilty to violations of the books and records provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). Siemens paid approximately $450 million in fines for its alleged violations and another $350 million to settle a civil suit brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition,…
Shareholder Demands Company’s Files Related to FCPA Settlement

In a complaint recently filed in Delaware Chancery Court, a shareholder of General Cable Corp. (“General Cable”) has asked the Court to compel the release of documents related to General Cable’s $82 million settlement of claims under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
In…
Sen. Sessions Says That He Will Enforce FCPA If Confirmed As US Attorney General
In written responses released earlier this week, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama reaffirmed that he will enforce the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the International Anti-Bribery Act of 1988 if he is confirmed as US Attorney General. Sen. Sessions was responding to the questions of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and others, following Sen. Session’s nomination…
$3.5 Billion Fine Part of Guilty Plea in “Largest Foreign Bribery Case in History”
Earlier today, the Department of Justice announced that construction conglomerate Odebrecht SA and its affiliate Braskem SA have pleaded guilty to their maintenance of an elaborate bribery scheme which paid out approximately $788 million in bribes to government officials around the world since 2001.
To facilitate its massive bribery scheme, Odebrecht established its “Division of…
Report Ranks Countries Prone to Bribery
In a recently released report, TRACE International, an international anti-bribery business association, ranked 199 countries based on the risk of encountering bribery within the country’s public sector.
Go to Interactive Map (credit: TRACE International)
The TRACE Matrix’s rating are based on four core domains: business interactions with government, anti-bribery laws and enforcement, government transparency, and…
FCPA Enforcement Actions on Breakneck Pace in 2016
In a pair of recent articles (available here and here), practitioners have been crunching the numbers, and 2016 is on near-record pace for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action dispositions. Through October, 2016 has seen 39 FCPA enforcement actions resolved, a pace that would have government agencies end the year with 48-plus dispositions…
The FCPA Pilot Program at Six Months: What Has It Meant for Business of All Sizes
In an recent article on Law360, Robert W. Kent, Jr. looked at lessons to be learned from the first six months of the Department of Justice’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Pilot Program. Announced in April 2016, the year-long pilot program is designed to up the ante for companies during FCPA investigations by offering…