All articles by Adrianne Appel
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PremiumAre the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act constitutional? A Florida judge just said no
A federal court in Florida has lashed out at federal whistleblower programs by dismissing a mundane False Claims Act case against a medical practice on the grounds that the qui tam provisions of the FCA are unconstitutional.
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News BriefCassava Sciences settles with SEC for $40M over skewed Alzheimer’s drug data
A former Alzheimer’s researcher manipulated the results of a Cassava Sciences drug, with the pharmaceutical company and its former chief executive reaching a $40 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegedly misleading the public.
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News BriefFinCEN, OFAC sanction crypto platforms linked to Russia, cybercrime
U.S. and European law enforcement agencies have announced sanctions against two Russia-linked cryptocurrency platforms in their ongoing chase to snuff out Russian-linked financial platforms that assist cybercriminals.
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Basic PageFive firms fined by PCAOB for alleged communications, reporting failures
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board fined five consultancies, including Ernst & Young, as the agency continues its crackdown on firms violating audit committee communications rules and reporting requirements.
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News BriefDOJ updates ECCP to include AI risks, whistleblower protections
Companies under criminal prosecution by the Department of Justice for any reason must show they have robust compliance for any artificial intelligence in use–or risk heightened prosecution–under a DOJ policy update.
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News BriefSEC charges three Medly execs with fraud for investment scheme
Former executives of Medly, an online pharmacy that is now shuttered, have been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with defrauding investors.
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News BriefCFPB orders TD Bank to pay $28M for sending false info to credit agencies
TD Bank has been ordered to pay $27.7 million and implement compliance measures, for providing inaccurate, negative credit information to credit agencies about tens of thousands of its customers and taking too long to fix the errors, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said.
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News BriefFCA delays compliance date for certain parts of ESG rule package
The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority is pushing back the date for some firms to comply with its naming and marketing rule amid struggles to prepare for it, the FCA said Monday.
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News BriefDOJ orders Wynn Las Vegas to forfeit $130M over BSA/AML violations
Wynn Las Vegas agreed to forfeit $130 million to settle a range of criminal allegations, including allegedly helping foreign customers hide money transfers and shielding patrons from Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering rules, the Department of Justice said.
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PremiumClearview AI’s GDPR fines rise to $110M total after latest penalty by Dutch DPA
Clearview AI was fined 30.5 million euro (U.S. $33.8 million) by the Dutch Data Protection Authority and ordered to stop collecting images of Dutch citizens in the latest enforcement action against the U.S. company.
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News BriefCISA creates new portal for businesses to file cyber incident reports
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has created a new online portal for organizations to voluntarily report cybersecurity incidents, including ransomware attacks.
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News BriefRaymond James to pay $1.9M over failing to supervise mutual fund transactions
Raymond James & Associates and its subsidiary agreed to pay more than $1.9 million to settle allegations levied by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority that it didn’t have an effective system to handle customer complaints, along with millions of direct mutual fund transactions not reasonably being supervised.
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News BriefBank of America unit reaches $3M settlement with FINRA over surveillance lapses
A subsidiary of Bank of America agreed to pay $3 million and take remedial measures to resolve allegations that its surveillance system didn’t detect manipulative trading, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said.
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News BriefBCG avoids criminal prosecution for FCPA violations related to bribes in Angola
The Department of Justice declined to prosecute Boston Consulting Group for allegedly bribing Angolan officials in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, citing the firm’s prompt self-disclosure and timely remediation.
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News BriefPham cries CFTC overreach against compliance officer in $48M fine of TOTSA
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission fined TOTSA TotalEnergies Trading $48 million for allegedly engaging in price manipulation, with Commissioner Carolyn Pham defending a compliance officer at the Swiss energy company accused of making false statements.
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News BriefDOJ orders LA to pay $38M over filing false claims for HUD grants
Los Angeles will pay more than $38 million to resolve allegations, first brought by two whistleblower, that for a decade the city knowingly shut people with disabilities out of affordable housing created through federal funds, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
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News BriefTwo pairs of whistleblowers claim separate SEC awards totaling $122M
Two pairs of claimants will receive whistleblower awards totaling more than $98 million and $24 million, respectively, for information they provided to the Securities and Exchange Commission that led to an enforcement action.
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News BriefEx-trader at Vitol latest to plead guilty in alleged PEMEX bribery scheme
A former trader at the U.S. affiliate of energy giant Vitol pleaded guilty to bribing officials at Petroleos Mexicanos in an effort to secure contracts.
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Basic PageHospice agency Intrepid USA to pay $3.8M over false claims to Medicare
Home health and hospice agency Intrepid USA agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle allegations, first brought by four whistleblowers, that its facilities billed Medicare for services patients were not qualified to receive, according to the Department of Justice.
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News BriefSEC orders Equiniti to pay $850K over alleged lax cybersecurity
Equiniti Trust Company has agreed to pay $850,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle allegations that its failed security measures allowed millions in client funds to be stolen in two cyber incidents.