Brent Brewbaker, a former executive for civil engineering firm Contech Engineered Solutions, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his role in a long-running bid-rigging scheme in North Carolina.
Whistleblowers
Posted inAnti-Bribery
Bayer to pay $40M to settle long-running false claims suits
Bayer agreed to pay $40 million to settle allegations its sales team paid kickbacks to hospitals and doctors for prescribing its drugs and that the pharmaceuticals company downplayed risks regarding certain of its offerings.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Wells Fargo ordered to pay ex-manager $22M in SOX whistleblower case
Wells Fargo must pay more than $22 million to a former senior banking executive who alleged to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration they were retaliated against for blowing the whistle on financial misconduct.
Posted inRegulatory Policy
SEC reverses Clayton-era whistleblower rule changes
The Securities and Exchange Commission amended its rules to provide further incentives to whistleblowers, particularly in cases involving large payouts or multiple federal agencies.
Posted inEthics & Culture
Lawsuit: HSBC Bank exec alleges discrimination, unauthorized WhatsApp use
Monique Thacker, a current HSBC Bank USA executive, claimed in a federal lawsuit she was discriminated and retaliated against for raising regulatory violations involving unauthorized communications by bank employees that were downplayed or ignored by management.
Posted inAnti-Bribery
Essilor agrees to $22M settlement over kickback charges
Essilor, a manufacturer and distributor of optical lenses and equipment, will pay $22 million to settle allegations it paid kickbacks to spur sales in violation of the False Claims Act.
Posted inInternal Controls
Twitter whistleblower says poor cybersecurity invites breaches, manipulation
Peiter Zatko, a former cybersecurity executive at Twitter, has blown the whistle on his observations of systemic data security lapses at the company, undercounting of fake accounts, and how the social media platform could be manipulated by foreign intelligence services.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Calif. health system, healthcare providers to pay $70.7M over false claims
Gold Coast Health Plan and three California county healthcare service providers will pay a total of $70.7 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act regarding California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal.
Posted inInternal Controls
DOJ-informed compliance guidance helps Home Depot prep for potential scrutiny
How can a company prove its compliance bona fides to a regulator, should one ever come knocking on its door? The Home Depot has prepared for such a scenario with detailed guidance pegged to the DOJ’s “Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs.”
Posted inRisk Management
Judge: Ex-JPMorgan compliance exec’s retaliation claims credible for trial
A jury could conclude allegations made by a former JPMorgan Chase compliance executive who said she was fired for blowing the whistle have merit, a federal judge ruled.
