Tenet-affiliated health systems to pay $30M in DOJ kickback case
Tenet Healthcare, Vanguard Health Systems, and the Detroit Medical Center agreed to pay $29.7 million as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice addressing allegations they provided kickbacks to doctors who made referrals to their health organizations.
Crown Resorts agrees to pay $292M over AML/CFT violations
Crown Resorts agreed to pay 450 million Australian dollars (U.S. $292 million) and overhaul its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism compliance controls for repeatedly violating Australia’s AML/CFT law.
Gartner to pay $2.5M to settle alleged FCPA violations in South Africa
Gartner agreed to pay nearly $2.5 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission addressing alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in South Africa.
Supreme Court once again strikes blow to DOJ’s fraud theories
A pair of unanimous Supreme Court decisions handed down earlier this month are the latest in a string of cases in which it has expressed concerns about government overreach regarding anti-corruption enforcement and wire fraud statutes.
Highlights from Compliance Week 2023
Significant changes in policy and technology, in addition to fresh perspectives on tried-and-true compliance topics, highlighted the discussion at Compliance Week’s 2023 National Conference.
Precision Lens, owner ordered to pay $487M in false claims judgment
A judge affirmed more than $487 million in penalties and damages against Precision Lens and its owner after a jury found they filed tens of thousands of false claims to Medicare and violated the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Survey: Anti-bribery and corruption benchmarking
The Anti-Bribery and Corruption Benchmarking report strives to give compliance practitioners insights into bribery and corruption challenges facing them in today’s corporate world.
Career fraud fighter Haluk Ferden Gursel honored for Lifetime Achievement
Haluk Ferden Gursel brought his experience in fraud prevention to the United Nations, World Health Organization, classroom, and more, solidifying himself as an expert on the subject and earning recognition for Lifetime Achievement at the 2023 Excellence in Compliance Awards.
ESG reporting an opportunity to showcase compliance quality
Hassan Chaudry, director of compliance at Canada-based asset management firm Starlight Investments, shares his take on how companies can derive value from their compliance efforts regarding environmental, social, and governance and anti-bribery and corruption.
Philips to pay $62M to settle alleged FCPA violations in China
Dutch conglomerate Royal Philips will pay more than $62 million to settle allegations it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when its subsidiaries engaged in improper conduct to win contracts in China.
Inflation: A breeding ground for financial crime
Inflation has ripple effects on individuals and businesses, posing a wide variety of threats to the economy. It not only affects a country’s financial stability but also results in increased financial crime rates.
Stryker facing new scrutiny over possible FCPA violations
Stryker disclosed it is investigating whether certain of its business activities might have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The company previously settled Securities and Exchange Commission charges of violating the FCPA twice in the last decade.
COSO report offers updated fraud risk management program blueprint
A new report from the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission offers a blueprint to organizations for establishing an overall fraud risk management program.
SEC reopens comment period on beneficial ownership proposal
The Securities and Exchange Commission reopened the comment period on proposed changes to “modernize” its beneficial ownership rule, including shortening certain filing deadlines.
Attorney pleads guilty to aiding sanctioned Russian oligarch
New York attorney Robert Wise faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to making payments to maintain U.S. properties secretly owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.
FinCEN annual report: How DOJ, IRS use SARs to aid probes
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s year in review for fiscal year 2022 provides details on how other U.S. agencies use information derived from the millions of suspicious activity reports filed each year to support their enforcement efforts.
Frank’s International to pay $8M in FCPA case
Dutch oilfield services provider Frank’s International agreed to pay nearly $8 million as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly paying bribes to influence oil drilling contracts in Angola.
Kingdom Trust fined $1.5M over ‘substantially inadequate’ AML controls
South Dakota-based Kingdom Trust Co. agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for anti-money laundering deficiencies that resulted in violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.
Treasury teases revising AML/CFT regulations to address ‘de-risking’
The Treasury Department might propose new regulations for financial institutions aimed at discouraging banks from shutting out large swaths of potential banking customers because of risk concerns.
Ericsson’s sordid affair with DOJ raises questions on DPAs, transparency
A critical examination of Ericsson’s 2019 deferred prosecution agreement and the Department of Justice’s determination the company breached the agreement raises questions regarding the overall lack of accountability in the corruption scheme.
Adobe to pay $3M over government kickback allegations
Adobe agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations it paid kickbacks in an attempt to win more software purchase orders from the federal government.
OCC ‘reluctantly’ drops enforcement, fine against former Rabobank CCO
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency dismissed an enforcement action and withdrew a fine against the former chief compliance officer for the now-defunct U.S. branch of Rabobank N.A.
Treasury: DeFi services vulnerable to AML/CFT, cybersecurity risks
A new U.S. Treasury report concluded that decentralized finance services are being used by bad actors to launder the proceeds of illegal activity, aided by crypto platforms weak or non-existent in anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance programs.
Genotox Laboratories to pay $5.9M in DOJ kickback settlement
Genotox Laboratories agreed to pay at least $5.9 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by paying volume-based commissions to third-party marketers and submitting claims to federal healthcare programs for unnecessary drug tests.
DOJ: Covenant Healthcare paid $69M in 2021 false claims settlement
Michigan-based Covenant Healthcare System paid $69 million to settle whistleblower allegations it engaged in illegal referral and kickback schemes.
FinCEN mulling beneficial ownership reporting changes amid criticism
The reporting requirements of the beneficial ownership information registry being developed by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will likely be revised following harsh criticism from lawmakers and businesses.
William Hill fined record $23.7M for social responsibility, AML failures
The U.K. Gambling Commission announced three units of British bookmaking service William Hill Group will pay a record fine of £19.2 million (U.S. $23.7 million) for failures regarding social responsibility and anti-money laundering.
Ex-Binance CCO accused of aiding and abetting CFTC rule violations
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission charged Binance and its founder with operating an illegal digital assets exchange, while former Chief Compliance Officer Samuel Lim faces charges of aiding and abetting the alleged misconduct.
Ex-OneCoin compliance head charged over alleged fraud role
The former head of legal and compliance at OneCoin was indicted on separate charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for her role in the $4 billion cryptocurrency fraud scheme.
Fed details Custodia Bank membership rejection over risk deficiencies
The Federal Reserve Board further expounded on the risk management deficiencies it found at Custodia Bank as part of the digital-first bank’s application to become a member of the Federal Reserve System.
Report alleges Block’s Cash App facilitates fraud, disregards AML laws
Investment research firm Hindenburg Research accused financial technology payment company Block of facilitating money laundering, fraud, and scams on its platform.
Polite: Look to ABB case for ‘extraordinary cooperation’ example
Compliance officers seeking clarity on what the Department of Justice means by “extraordinary” cooperation or “immediate” self-disclosure should look to the agency’s case history, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite Jr. during a speech.
Experts: Fraud risks heightened amid banking turmoil
The stunning, rapid collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, fueled in its final days by droves of panicked depositors seeking funds, likely added to the chaos within the bank and ratcheted up the risk of fraud, according to legal experts.
Danske Bank to name audit exec new chief compliance officer
Danske Bank will appoint Chief Audit Executive Dorthe Tolborg to serve as its chief compliance officer after current CCO Satnam Lehal announced he would depart the bank in early 2024.
TRACE enforcement report highlights anti-bribery trends from 2022
The United States broke from a three-year downturn in bribery-related enforcement actions, while Brazil continued its emergence in the space, according to the results of the latest annual Global Enforcement Report by nonprofit TRACE.
Experts: DOJ clawback pilot to be ‘work in progress’
Businesses and compliance professionals should expect the Department of Justice’s new compensation clawback policies to be applied on a case-by-case basis, with broad discretion, according to legal experts.
CPE Webcast: Immersive Learning: A Revolutionary Way To Train Your Compliance Team
Get a taste of Compliance Week Training’s new instructor-led courses that provide the experience of a financial crime risk event unfolding in real time. Review scenarios used in the course, which simulates a real-life crisis you need to evaluate and resolve with your peers.
DOJ declines to prosecute Corsa Coal in FCPA case
Corsa Coal Corp. was notified by the Department of Justice it won’t face prosecution for alleged bribes employees paid to Egypt’s Al Nasr Company for Coke and Chemicals to secure coal supply contracts.
Ex-Goldman banker sentenced to 10 years for 1MDB fraud role
Former Goldman Sachs Managing Director Roger Ng was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the 1MDB fraud scandal.
Corporate conformity and ‘blame culture’
Conformity can be a powerful force for good, but the same urge to conform can also lead to a toxic culture with an unhealthy atmosphere for employees and customers alike.
Flutter Entertainment to pay $4M for legacy FCPA violations
Ireland-based gaming and sports betting company Flutter Entertainment will pay a $4 million fine to resolve SEC charges payments made to Russian consultants by a company it acquired violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
SEC orders Rio Tinto to pay $15M over FCPA violations
U.K.-based mining and minerals company Rio Tinto will pay a $15 million fine to settle charges of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when it entered into a scheme with a consultant in 2011 to bribe government officials in Guinea.
Google, Uber CCOs share approaches to data analytics
The chief compliance officers of Google and Uber offer insight into how their data analytics compliance programs have evolved amid enhanced scrutiny on use of technology from the Department of Justice.
SEC fines broker-dealer $100K over SARs reporting failures
Cambria Capital agreed to pay $100,000, hire an independent anti-money laundering consultant, and be censured for failing to file suspicious activity reports on certain transactions over a two-year period, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ericsson to pay $207M for breaches of 2019 DPA over FCPA violations
Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson agreed to pay nearly $207 million following two breaches of its 2019 deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. authorities.
DOJ sets new compliance criteria for criminal investigations
The Department of Justice announced changes to its evaluation procedures for corporate compliance programs in criminal investigations, including monitoring off-channel messaging by employees, executive compensation programs, and how the agency selects compliance monitors.
DOJ to implement new clawback, compensation policies for corporate settlements
Corporate resolutions involving the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division will now include a requirement the resolving company develop compliance-promoting criteria within its compensation and bonus system, according to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
Ericsson searching for CCO successor amid extended compliance monitorship
Ericsson announced the departure of Chief Compliance Officer Laurie Waddy as the Swedish telecommunications company braces for another year under an independent compliance monitorship.
Stanley Black & Decker discloses potential FCPA violations
Stanley Black & Decker voluntarily disclosed to the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission its international division might have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
South Africa, Nigeria added to FATF’s AML/CFT watchlist
The Financial Action Task Force placed Nigeria and South Africa on its list of countries requiring increased monitoring because of deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.