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THE LATEST ON GOVERNMENT INQUIRIES AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Group

Alex J. Brackett

Photo of Alex J. Brackett Alex is a member of the Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation department, and co-head of McGuireWoods' Strategic Risk and Compliance team. His practice focuses primarily on advising and supporting corporate and individual clients in the areas of white collar criminal defense and internal investigations.

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U.S. Department of Justice and Partners Increasing Enforcement of Sanctions and Export Controls

By Patrick Rowan, Alex J. Brackett, Jason H. Cowley, Edwin O. Childs, Laura Colombell Marshall and Elissa Baur on Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
It has been a little more than a year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the war continues to rage.  In an effort to deter the Russian government and weaken its military capabilities, the United States has imposed significant sanctions and export controls targeting Russia.  Recognizing that these sanctions and export control laws merit aggressive… Continue Reading

FinCEN Alert Highlights Potential U.S. Real Estate Investments by Sanctioned Russian Elites

By Peter C. Morrison, Jeffrey J. Chapman, Thomas R. Lansen, Alex J. Brackett and Patrick Rowan on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network recently issued an alert cautioning all financial institutions about potential investments in the U.S. commercial real estate sector, by or on behalf of Russian elites and their proxies. FinCEN’s communication complements U.S. efforts, in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, to isolate sanctioned Russian persons from the international financial system.… Continue Reading

Brazilian Airline to Pay Millions in Coordinated Foreign Bribery Resolution

By Benjamin A. O'Neil, Alex J. Brackett, Andrew Thornton-Dibb and Jah Akande on Anti-Bribery and Corruption
On September 15, 2022, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL), Brazil’s second largest domestic airline, resolved long-running parallel investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The São Paulo-based company, whose shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, consented to a cease-and-desist order with the SEC… Continue Reading

Proposed Federal Rule Signals Remote Form I-9 Inspection of Employee Documents Will Likely Become Permanent Option

By McGuireWoods LLP, Jacquelyn Stone, Matthew Orso, Alex J. Brackett and Noriya Shahadat on Immigration and Worksite Enforcement
On August 18, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Proposed Rule titled Optional Alternatives to the Physical Document Examination Associated With Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9). The Proposed Rule would formalize the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend certain COVID-19 rules permitting remote inspection of employee documents presented for… Continue Reading

Less is More? DOJ Signals Shift to More Targeted Evidence Collection

By Milligan J. G. Goldsmith, Patrick Rowan, Michael Francisco and Alex J. Brackett on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends
For a corporation receiving a grand jury subpoena, the most difficult (and expensive) part of a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) inquiry is often sifting through corporate data to find relevant material. That is proving to be increasingly burdensome to prosecutors as well—not just because it costs DOJ time and resources to review extensive data… Continue Reading

DOJ and SEC Kick Off the Second Quarter with Major FCPA Settlement with International Waste Management Company

By Benjamin A. O'Neil, Alex J. Brackett, Jah Akande and Elissa Baur on Anti-Bribery and Corruption
On April 20, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) separately announced that Stericycle Inc. (Stericycle), an international waste management company headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, has agreed to pay more than $84 million to resolve parallel investigations by authorities in the United States and Brazil. The investigation is… Continue Reading

New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions

By Alex J. Brackett, Edwin O. Childs, Patrick Rowan, Elissa Baur, Laura Colombell Marshall, Jason H. Cowley and Francesca Titus on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATE: FinCEN Alert Highlights Potential U.S. Commercial Real Estate Investments by Sanctioned Russian Elites and Their Proxies (January 30, 2023) As the world watched in horror over the atrocities occurring in the war zones of Ukraine this week, global leaders re-doubled their efforts to bring increasing sanctions pressure to bear on Russian industry, the… Continue Reading

Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions

By Alex J. Brackett, Edwin O. Childs, Patrick Rowan, Elissa Baur, Laura Colombell Marshall and Jason H. Cowley on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: FinCEN Alert Highlights Potential U.S. Commercial Real Estate Investments by Sanctioned Russian Elites and Their Proxies (January 30, 2023) New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) As we approach the thirty day mark since the United States, and other Western countries began imposing a series of rigorous sanctions… Continue Reading

FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions including Use of Virtual Currency

By Alex J. Brackett, Matthew Orso, Laura Colombell Marshall and McGuireWoods LLP on Anti-Money Laundering, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: FinCEN Alert Highlights Potential U.S. Commercial Real Estate Investments by Sanctioned Russian Elites and Their Proxies (January 30, 2023) New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022) The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued an alert… Continue Reading

Biden Administration Amends “Buy American” Rules to Increase Domestic Content Requirements

By Edwin O. Childs, Alex J. Brackett, Abram J. Pafford, Jack White, Todd R. Steggerda and Jason M. Vespoli on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends
On March 7, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council promulgated a final rule aimed at increasing federal government preferences for goods and construction materials that are domestically manufactured and increasing the required domestic content threshold for purchases governed by the Buy American Act. Read on for highlights from the rule and next steps for government contractors… Continue Reading

DOJ Launches “Task Force KleptoCapture” in Response to Russian Invasion

By Laura Colombell Marshall, Edwin O. Childs, Alex J. Brackett, Patrick Rowan, Jason H. Cowley, Evan Tucker and Elissa Baur on Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: U.S. Department of Justice and Partners Increasing Enforcement of Sanctions and Export Controls (March 6, 2023) New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022) FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions… Continue Reading

U.S. and Allies Significantly Expand Sanctions and Related Restrictions on Russia and Belarus

By Alex J. Brackett, Edwin O. Childs, Patrick Rowan, Elissa Baur, Laura Colombell Marshall and Jason H. Cowley on Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022) FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions including Use of Virtual Currency (March 16, 2022) DOJ Launches “Task Force KleptoCapture” in Response to… Continue Reading

Additional Sanctions on Russia and the Importance of Business Contingency Planning

By Alex J. Brackett, Patrick Rowan, Edwin O. Childs and Elissa Baur on Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022) FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions including Use of Virtual Currency (March 16, 2022) DOJ Launches “Task Force KleptoCapture” in Response to… Continue Reading

Biden Administration Issues Initial Ukraine Sanctions

By Alex J. Brackett, Patrick Rowan and Edwin O. Childs on Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022) FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions including Use of Virtual Currency (March 16, 2022) DOJ Launches “Task Force KleptoCapture” in Response to… Continue Reading

What Significant Russian Sanctions Could Look Like, and How to Prepare

By Alex J. Brackett, Patrick Rowan and Edwin O. Childs on Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
RELATED UPDATES: New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022) Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022) FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions including Use of Virtual Currency (March 16, 2022) DOJ Launches “Task Force KleptoCapture” in Response to… Continue Reading

The Perils of Global Expansion: World’s Largest Ad Agency Sanctioned $19 Million for FCPA Violations, Insufficient Controls

By Alex J. Brackett, Francesca Titus, Patrick Rowan, E. Andrew Southerling and McGuireWoods LLP on Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls, Securities and Commodities
Global expansion without adequate controls is asking for trouble. That’s the lesson of a $19 million settlement between WPP, the world’s largest advertising agency, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). According to an SEC order memorializing the settlement, WPP’s trouble began when… Continue Reading

Sanctions and Export Compliance Strategies for Supply Chains

By Alex J. Brackett, Patrick Rowan and Jason H. Cowley on Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
The following is an excerpt from McGuireWoods’ recent contribution to the Global Investigations Review’s (GIR’s) The Guide to Sanctions – Second Edition published in July 2021. Authors Alex Brackett, Pat Rowan and Jason Cowley, each partners in the firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation department, penned a chapter on the Impacts of Sanctions and… Continue Reading

Biden Administration Orders Comprehensive Review of U.S. Supply Chain

By Edwin O. Childs, Alex J. Brackett, Patrick Rowan, Abram J. Pafford, Todd R. Steggerda and Jason M. Vespoli on Government Contracts
On Feb. 24, 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order (EO) triggering a comprehensive review of U.S. supply chains, ordering agencies to identify ways to secure the American economy against shortages of critical and essential goods. As noted by the White House, this EO requires federal agencies to conduct a two-phase review of U.S. supply chains. First,… Continue Reading

Price Gouging Enforcement in the Wake of COVID-19: Where is the FTC?

By Sarah A. Zielinski, Kevin M. Lally, Alex J. Brackett and Elizabeth F. Tyler on Fraud, Deception and False Claims
The contours of price gouging enforcement continue to evolve rapidly within the rip current of the coronavirus pandemic.  As we previously reported, the Department of Justice and state attorneys general have spearheaded price gouging investigations, and private litigants have turned to the courts with price gouging-related class action lawsuits.  Yet one potential authority remains on… Continue Reading

The Tip of the Iceberg Emerges: Initial Wave of Class Actions Reflect How Private Causes of Action Will Add Significantly to Price Gouging Litigation

By Alex J. Brackett, Trent Taylor, Kevin M. Lally and Sarah A. Zielinski on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends
As pandemic response task forces at the federal and state levels ramp up price gouging investigations and enforcement actions across the country, civil plaintiffs attorneys have jumped to the forefront by utilizing private causes of action to file price gouging-based class action lawsuits against dozens of major retailers and food supply companies.   Senate Majority Leader… Continue Reading

Price Gouging Investigations Are Coming: What Industry Needs to Understand

By Alex J. Brackett, Kevin M. Lally and Sarah A. Zielinski on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends
Update: please see our May 14 post for information on private causes of action to file a series of price gouging-based class action lawsuits against several dozen major retailers and food supply companies. In response to the national coronavirus health crisis, federal and state Attorneys General have elevated the investigation and prosecution of COVID-19-related crime,… Continue Reading

What the Venezuela Sanctions May Mean for Future Sanctions Programs

By Alex J. Brackett, Emily P. Gordy, Jeffrey M. Hanna and Patrick Rowan on Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls
When the Trump Administration designated Venezuelan state-owned oil producer Petreoleos de Venezuela (“PdVSA”) on January 28, 2019, pursuant to preexisting sanctions relating to the political situation created by the Maduro regime, it sent a significant but not unanticipated ripple through the global petroleum markets.  The impact of the sanctions for commodities traders and petroleum refiners—particularly… Continue Reading

Second Circuit Clarifies Limits of FCPA’s Extraterritorial Reach

By Patrick Rowan, Alex J. Brackett and Government Investigations Group on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit narrowed the reach of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA” or “the Act”) in ruling that the government cannot use aiding and abetting or conspiracy statutes to charge a defendant with violating the FCPA if the defendant is not in the category of persons directly covered… Continue Reading

Series of DOJ Enforcement Policy Announcements Provides Promising Guidance

By Alex J. Brackett on Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Fraud, Deception and False Claims
In a series of key policy announcements between November 2017 and May 2018, the Department of Justice has demonstrated an increasingly coherent perspective on how it will handle key aspects of white collar criminal enforcement. The policies largely reiterate a message federal prosecutors have delivered for years regarding what they want to see from companies… Continue Reading

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