Kitchen and home retail company Williams-Sonoma agreed to pay nearly $3.2 million for failing to comply with a 2020 administrative order by the Federal Trade Commission prohibiting its marketing of imported goods as made in the United States.
Regulatory Enforcement
CW2024 panelists discuss BYOD at center of off-channel comms debate
The Department of Justice’s renewed scrutiny toward a corporation’s approach to the use of personal devices strengthens the case for companies to get away from bring your own device, a panelist at Compliance Week’s 2024 National Conference argued.
Czech DPA fines Avast $15M over GDPR violations
The Czech Republic’s data protection authority issued a fine of 351 million Czech koruna (U.S. $15 million) against antivirus software vendor Avast for alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation.
Accountancy bodies urge ethical behavior amid exam cheating scandals
Trust in the integrity of corporate finance and auditing is vital, but repeated scandals over exam cheating at the largest multinational firms are denting faith in the system globally.
Consolidated Nuclear Security to pay $18.4M over timecard false claims
Consolidated Nuclear Security agreed to pay $18.4 million to settle alleged False Claims Act violations regarding the submission of timecards for unworked hours to the National Nuclear Security Administration.
BaFin fines Commerzbank $1.6M over supervision, AML lapses
Germany’s financial supervisory authority issued total fines of €1.45 million (U.S. $1.6 million) against Commerzbank AG to settle allegations of inadequate monitoring and anti-money laundering controls.
OFAC fines SCG Chemicals unit $20M over Iran sanctions violations
A subsidiary of Thailand-based SCG Chemicals Co. agreed to pay a $20 million fine to the Office of Foreign Assets Control over “egregious” violations of sanctions against Iran.
SFO outlines five-year strategy amid ‘increasing pace of change’
The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office said in a five-year strategic plan it’s “struggled to keep pace with demand” as ballooning casework shows no signs of slowing down.
OCC cites three banks for risk management, BSA-related failures
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency cited three banks for unsafe and unsound business practices that mirror issues similar to what spurred last year’s banking crisis.
Treasury kicks off new wave of Iran sanctions
The Treasury Department announced new sanctions against Iran, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen promising “further actions in the days and weeks ahead” following the Middle East nation’s attack on Israel.


