News | Compliance Week – Page 61
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News BriefDemocratic senators push PCAOB to crack down on crypto audit work
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to address so-called “sham audits” of cryptocurrency companies by registered auditors in the aftermath of the collapse of FTX.
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News BriefIn Touch Games fined $7.6M for AML failures by U.K. Gambling Commission
U.K. online gaming company In Touch Games was fined £6.1 million (U.S. $7.6 million) by the country’s Gambling Commission for a series of anti-money laundering failures—its third such penalty since 2019.
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News BriefReports: Morgan Stanley fines bankers up to $1M for off-channel communications
Morgan Stanley fined its employees up to $1 million for using unauthorized communication channels in violation of recordkeeping rules, according to multiple reports.
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News BriefEx-GigaTrust CEO sentenced to five years for $50M fraud
The former chief executive officer of email security company GigaTrust was sentenced to five years in prison for fabrications that allowed him and two other executives to defraud investors and lenders of millions.
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News BriefSEC seeks to revive Dodd-Frank rule on conflicts in securities trading
The Securities and Exchange Commission resurrected an unfulfilled mandate of the Dodd-Frank Act that would prevent the sale of certain securities if there is a conflict of interest.
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News BriefPopular Bank fined $2.3M by Fed over fraudulent PPP loan approvals
The Federal Reserve Board fined New York-based Popular Bank $2.3 million for processing Paycheck Protection Program loans despite finding significant indications of possible fraud in the loan applications.
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News BriefJBS accused of greenwashing in SEC whistleblower complaint
Brazilian meat processing company JBS faces accusations of issuing $3.2 billion worth of “misleading and fraudulent” sustainability bonds in a whistleblower complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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News BriefJ&J unit to pay $9.75M to settle kickback suit
A Johnson & Johnson medical device subsidiary admitted to providing thousands of dollars in equipment as kickbacks to an orthopedic surgeon as part of a $9.75 million settlement reached with the Department of Justice.
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News BriefBloomberg to pay $5M for misleading disclosures about rate calculations
Bloomberg Finance agreed to pay $5 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges alleging misleading disclosures it made about how it calculated the valuations it provided on fixed-income securities to the financial services industry.
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News BriefBanks fooled in DOJ Russian yacht sanctions evasion case
The Department of Justice’s charges against a U.K. businessman and his Russian partner for evading U.S. sanctions against a Russian oligarch provide insight into how the use of shell companies, third parties, and other methods can thwart the compliance efforts of financial institutions.
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News Brief
Moors & Cabot to pay $1.9M for conflict of interest disclosure lapses
Investment adviser Moors & Cabot reached a $1.9 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations the firm didn’t fairly disclose conflicts of interest associated with incentive payments it received from two unaffiliated clearing brokers.
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News BriefCFTC commissioner urges crypto gatekeepers ‘step up and call for compliance’
Christy Goldsmith Romero of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission called out gatekeepers—lawyers, accountants, auditors, compliance professionals, and others—for failing customers in the unregulated cryptocurrency market.
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News BriefNexo Capital to pay $45M for selling unregistered crypto lending product
Nexo Capital agreed to pay a total of $45 million in penalties to settle state and federal charges it failed to register its crypto asset lending product as a security.
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News BriefFCC probing T-Mobile after latest cyber incident affects 37M
The Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into T-Mobile after the telecommunications giant disclosed it suffered yet another significant cybersecurity lapse exposing customer information.
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News BriefWhatsApp fined $5.9M for lawful processing GDPR violations
The Irish Data Protection Commission announced a fine of €5.5 million (U.S. $5.9 million) against WhatsApp under the General Data Protection Regulation for forcing users to consent to updated terms and conditions or lose access to the service.
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News BriefFRC probing EY audit of Veolia unit
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council launched an investigation into Big Four audit firm EY’s work at Scotland-based Stirling Water Seafield Finance.
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News BriefCovington to contest SEC court request for breached client data
The Securities and Exchange Commission asked a federal court to force Covington & Burling to comply with a subpoena seeking the law firm turn over names of about 300 clients impacted by a 2020 cyberattack.
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News BriefDeutsche Bank refreshes compliance leadership with new group CCO
Deutsche Bank named Laura Padovani to be its next group chief compliance officer and head of compliance, effective April 1. She will replace Pascal Tagné, who will become the bank’s head of compliance for the Asia Pacific region.
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News BriefCrypto exchange Bitzlato shut down, labeled ‘money laundering concern’
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network designated Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange, as a “primary money laundering concern” in the first use of a law that targets entities that facilitate illicit Russian financial transactions.
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News BriefDanske Bank CCO to depart in 2024
Satnam Lehal, chief compliance officer of Danske Bank, announced he will leave the bank in early 2024 after playing a pivotal role in helping steer it through the aftermath of one of the world’s largest money laundering scandals.