The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act recently came into stark relief again, this time in the form of a criminal trial and conviction—a relatively rare thing in FCPA enforcement—that underscored the importance of due diligence.
Frederic Bourke, co-founder of the firm Dooney & Bourke (a maker of handbags and other accessories), was convicted by a federal jury on July 10 of conspiracy to violate the FCPA for his complicity in bribing government officials in Azerbaijan for lucrative oil contracts. He was also convicted of lying to the FBI during its investigation and was acquitted of one count of money laundering.
Bourke now faces ...