Ex-FBI informant says three things can save companies from themselves
Tom Hardin paid the price for crossing legal and ethical lines as a financial analyst accused of insider trading in one of the most notorious Wall Street scandals. Now he’s on a mission to save businesses from themselves. A keynote speaker at Compliance Week National, he built a second career ...
Trump is making it harder for whistleblowers. That’s a problem for corporate America
As U.S. President Donald Trump takes a wrecking ball to the norms, rules, and laws that have governed the United States for decades, whistleblowing as we know it – a way to right wrongs, call out misconduct and hold people accountable – may be under threat.
DOJ fines MORSE Corp $4.6M for lax cyber controls amid crack down on federal contractors
Yet another government contractor has been slapped with a fine by the Department of Justice for applying lax cybersecurity defenses on sensitive government data.
As DOJ pivots away from white-collar enforcement, is FCPA still relevant?
While executives and boards will never conclude that bribery is a legitimate way of doing business, understandably many have questions about how to direct their FCPA compliance program efforts and resources, write Iris Bennett and Claire Rajan, partners at law firm Steptoe.
PCAOB fines PwC Israel $2.75M amid ongoing sweep for internal training exam cheating
The Israeli affiliate of Big Four audit firm PwC agreed to pay $2.75 million to settle allegations it failed to prevent widespread cheating on training examinations despite internal warnings to staff about an ongoing crackdown.
DOD health contractors rack up more than $100M in excess payments, DOJ alleges
Six health centers that contracted with the Department of Defense, intentionally overbilled the government for more than $100 million, the Department of Justice alleged in announcing a settlement with one of the plans.
CFTC takes acting off enforcement director’s title
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced the appointment of Brian Young as director of the agency’s Division of Enforcement.
DOJ orders Lockheed Martin to pay $30M over defective pricing on F-35 contracts
The Department of Justice announced it reached a settlement with Lockheed Martin stemming from allegations of “defective pricing on contracts for F-35 military aircraft.” The deal comes days after Attorney General Pam Bondi was confirmed by the Senate, which will shift the DOJ’s focus away from white-collar misconduct.
Five reasons why I’m excited about CW’s Cyber Risk & Data Privacy Summit
Having worked for Compliance Week for three years, I’ve found it remarkable how compliance professionals can be so consistently upbeat about their plight. An often refrain in compliance circles is “be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” As difficult as the job can be, that clearly doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.
CPSC fines Google-owned Fitbit $12M for failing to report smartwatch burn hazard
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered Google-owned Fitbit to pay more than $12 million and comply with certain undertakings to settle allegations the company knowingly failed to report a serious burning hazard with its Ionic smartwatches.
Walgreens ducked compliance, filled fake opioid prescriptions, DOJ suit alleges
Walgreens skimped on compliance and filled millions of prescriptions for narcotics that weren’t medically necessary, the Department of Justice alleged in a complaint against the company, first brought by four whistleblowers.
Five more compliance triumphs of 2024
Whether you’re a multinational telecommunications company looking to certify your anti-corruption program post-settlement, or a biochemical company victimized by a “rogue” employee, seeing the light at the end of the enforcement tunnel isn’t always easy.
Whistleblower’s defamation case reveals scope of USAA ‘coverup’
A defamation lawsuit filed by a whistleblower against USAA, which a Florida judge recently dismissed on a technicality, revealed in public court records an estimated 400,000 violations of the Military Lending Act by USAA Federal Savings Bank (USAA Bank), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of USAA.
SEC levies no fine against Kiromic BioPharma after material omissions self-disclosure
Kiromic BioPharma will pay no fine to the Securities and Exchange Commission after self-reporting that it failed to disclose material information about two cancer drugs to investors.
Could your firm potentially be the subject of a DOJ whistleblower action? Time to get ready
Now that the U.S. Department of Justice launched a new pilot whistleblower program, many questions remain. What types of companies might find themselves to be the subject of a criminal investigation stemming from a whistleblower tip? And what should they do to prepare for a whistleblower tip?
Webcast: The DOJ’s Corporate Whistleblower Program: What we’ve learned and how it can change in the future
We will discuss the critical role whistleblowers play in law enforcement, and how the DOJ has structured its program to incentivize people to come forward.
‘200+ tips in 3 months’: DOJ’s corporate whistleblower program so far
The Department of Justice received more than 200 whistleblower tips since it launched its long-awaited Corporate Whistleblower Awards (CWA) Pilot Program on Aug. 1, according to the program’s Acting Director Patrick Gushue in a Compliance Week exclusive.
CFTC cites ‘unreasonably delayed reporting’ for unevenly split $4M whistleblower award
“Unreasonably delayed reporting” cost one of two claimants whom will unevenly split a $4 million whistleblower award from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for providing information that led to a successful enforcement action.
DOJ orders Paragon Systems, subsidiary to pay $54M over front company contracts scheme
Paragon Systems, a Virginia-based security contractor, and a subsidiary will pay nearly $54 million to resolve allegations that its corporate executives–including its compliance manager–conspired to win Department of Homeland Security contracts by creating fraudulent small business front companies.
CPE Webcast: Protect Your Business: Mastering whistleblower reporting for SMBs
Register for this webcast to gain expert strategies for creating a strong whistleblower program in your business.
Raytheon parent RTX settles false claims, defective pricing, Qatar FCPA violations for $950M
The other shoe finally dropped for Raytheon and parent company RTX, as two U.S. regulators announced nearly $1 billion in penalties to settle defective pricing in defense contracts, false claims related to inflated prices on government contracts, and bribes paid to government officials in Qatar that violated the FCPA.
Government contractor fined $307K after third-party hack compromised personal data
It was a double whammy of cybersecurity no-nos for a federal contractor hit with a data breach: The personal data of Medicare beneficiaries contained in unencrypted screenshots were allegedly compromised when their third-party vendor’s server was hacked.
Teva Pharma to pay $450M to settle kickback, price-fixing allegations
Generic drug giant Teva Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay $450 million to settle two cases brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ), including one alleging that co-pays it made on behalf of Medicare patients constituted illegal kickbacks, and a second action for alleged generic drug price fixing.
Are 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.
DOJ 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.
SEC penalizes seven firms $3M total for impeding whistleblower protections
Seven public companies will pay a total of $3 million in fines for requiring employees to sign agreements containing provisions that impeded their ability to report misconduct to the Securities and Exchange Commission.
SEC fines Nationwide Planning, affiliates combined $240K over impeding whistleblowers
Broker-dealer Nationwide Planning Associates and two affiliated investment advisers impeded potential whistleblowers from reporting misconduct to the Securities and Exchange Commission and have agreed to settle the charges for a combined $240,000.
Ian Sherr joins Compliance Week as its new editor-in-chief
New Compliance Week Editor-In-Chief Ian Sherr shares his thoughts on where compliance is headed as businesses meet the realities of not just following the rules, but staying ahead of the pace of regulatory change at a global scale.
DOJ 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.
Two 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.
DOJ joins compliance officers in lawsuit over Georgia Tech cyber lapses
The Department of Justice joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two former Georgia Tech compliance officers who alleged that the institute violated the False Claims Act by knowingly failing to meet cybersecurity requirements in a Department of Defense contract.
U.K. whistleblower protections, awards needed to compensate ‘career suicide’
Discrimination against whistleblowers in the U.K. has risen to such a level that the government may need to actively pursue plans to afford greater legal protection, as well as introduce financial awards to compensate for their “career suicide.”
Hospice 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.
DOJ orders apparel importer Alexis to pay $7.7M over underpaid customs duties
Women’s apparel importer Alexis agreed to pay nearly $7.7 million to settle allegations, first raised by a whistleblower, that it intentionally underpaid customs duties, according to the Department of Justice.
Avantor agrees to pay $5.3M to settle false claims, chemicals reporting violations
Laboratory supply company Avantor agreed to pay $5.3 million to settle allegations, first brought by a whistleblower, that it overcharged four federal agencies and failed to comply with chemical regulations, the Department of Justice said.
Game-changing DOJ pilot whistleblower program panned by critics
The Department of Justice released the details of its long-awaited corporate whistleblower awards pilot program that will prioritize reporting in areas of corporate crime not currently covered by existing whistleblower programs.
OSHA orders Maersk to pay $707K over suspending, firing whistleblower
Global shipping giant Maersk Line Limited agreed to pay more than $707,000 and reinstate a seaman who was terminated after he alerted a federal regulatory agency about alleged safety violations, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.
SEC awards $37M to whistleblower who was retaliated against by supervisors
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced its second $37 million whistleblower award in as many weeks with four claimants vying for the payout, but only one reaping the benefits.
DOJ orders Admera Health to pay $5.5M to settle kickback allegations
Admera Health agreed to pay more than $5.5 million to resolve allegations first brought by two whistleblowers that it paid kickbacks to third-party contractors, the Department of Justice said.
CFPB warns against censoring whistleblowers via broad NDAs
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is warning companies against intimidating potential whistleblowers by forcing them to sign broad nondisclosure agreements to deter misconduct from coming to light.
Survey tackles aligning cross-generational views of ethics in the workplace
Companies may need to examine employees by age group to find out how likely some workers might be to ditch compliance to complete tasks.
DOJ orders DaVita to pay $34M over alleged dialysis center kickback scheme
DaVita, a multi-state dialysis provider, agreed to pay more than $34 million to resolve allegations it engaged in numerous kickback schemes to doctors who referred Medicare patients to its dialysis centers, the Department of Justice announced.
SEC whistleblower to receive $37M award
A whistleblower will be paid $37 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for providing original, credible information that led to a successful enforcement action.
Kindred hospice agrees to pay $19M in multi-state DOJ false claims case
A multi-state hospice home health provider agreed to pay $19.4 million to settle allegations that it paid kickbacks and knowingly billed federal health programs to treat non-terminally ill patients.
Employees accuse OpenAI of illegal NDAs blocking whistleblower rights
Anonymous employees of OpenAI accused the company of requiring employees to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) that “prohibited and discouraged” them from reporting securities law violations to federal regulators.
Rite Aid reaches $410M settlement with DOJ in opioid false claims case
Rite Aid agreed to pay $7.5 million and allow the Department of Justice to access nearly $402 million from the company’s forthcoming bankruptcy case to settle allegations it helped fuel the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Q&A: Seaco general counsel, compliance head on environmental regulations
Dominic Buckwell, general counsel and compliance head at global marine container leasing company Seaco, discussed key themes including anti-money laundering, sanctions, and why the industry needs common environmental reporting standards.
Tareen Dermatology agrees to pay $1.6M over false claims to Medicare
A Minnesota dermatology practice, its owner, and chief executive agreed to pay $1.6 million to settle allegations, first brought by two whistleblowers, that the company violated the Anti-Kickback Statue by making false claims to Medicare.
DOJ orders Houston medical centers to pay $15M over concurrent billing false claims
Houston-based medical center institutions agreed to jointly pay $15 million to settle allegations for improperly billing Medicare for concurrent surgeries in violation of teaching physician and informed consent regulations.
Averhealth to pay $1.3M in DOJ drug test false claims case
National drug testing firm Averhealth agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle allegations, first brought by a whistleblower, that it knowingly submitted false claims to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice announced.