Subject to Inquiry

Subject to Inquiry

THE LATEST ON GOVERNMENT INQUIRIES AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

Government Investigations and White Collar Litigation Group

Category Archives: Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

Subscribe to Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends RSS Feed
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

Twitter to Pay $150M for Violating 2011 FTC Order Regarding Misrepresentation of its Privacy and Security Practices

On May 25, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it, along with the Department of Justice, fined Twitter $150 million for violating a 2011 agreement the company had with the Commission. Under the 2011 FTC order, Twitter agreed that it would protect the integrity of nonpublic consumer information, including users’ phone numbers and… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls

New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions

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
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Government Contracts

Largest-Ever Small-Business Contracting Fraud Settlement Related to Pass-Through Subcontracting

Federal contractors should take note of a $48.5 million False Claims Act settlement between the Department of Justice and TriMark USA LLC — the largest-ever FCA settlement based on allegations of small-business set-aside contracting fraud. DOJ alleged that TriMark had a plan to circumvent specific small-business contracting requirements by providing significant assistance to three small… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls

Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions

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
Anti-Money Laundering, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls

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

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
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

Update: Pain Management or Pill Mill? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Regarding Standards for Prosecutions of Practitioners Prescribing Narcotics

Last week, the Supreme Court (Court) heard oral arguments in companion cases Ruan v. United States and Kahn v. United States, concerning the application of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA” or “the Act”) to medical practitioners. Through these cases, the Court is expected to resolve a circuit split over the role of “good faith” as… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

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

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
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

U.S. Department of Education Officially Asserts Authority over Income Share Agreements

On March 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) for the first time asserted regulatory authority over income share agreements (ISAs) as private education loans. FSA issued an electronic announcement to clarify its authority over income share agreements at institutions that receive federal aid under the Higher Education Act… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Fraud, Deception and False Claims

First FCPA Settlement of 2022 – Enforcement on the Horizon

On February 17, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the first Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) settlement of the year. Seoul-based KT Corporation (KT Corp.), South Korea’s largest telecommunications operator, will pay $6.3 million to resolve charges that it violated the FCPA by providing improper payments for the benefit of government officials in… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

Pain Management or Pill Mill? Supreme Court to Weigh in on Standards for Prosecutions of Practitioners Prescribing Narcotics

Update: Pain Management or Pill Mill? Supreme Court Hears Arguments Regarding Standards for Prosecutions of Practitioners Prescribing Narcotics (March 11, 2022) Introduction Next week, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a pair of cases that may reshape the landscape of legitimate prescribing under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA” or “the Act”). In companion… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

EARN IT Act Opens Online Service Providers to Liability for Online Child Sexual Abuse Hosted on Their Platforms

On Thursday, February 10, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (EARN IT Act), first introduced in 2020 by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. The EARN IT Act aims to tackle the online proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by paring back… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Securities and Commodities

SEC Focus on Private Fund Advisers Continues With the Publication of EXAMS Risk Alert

On January 27, 2022, the Division of Examinations (“EXAMS”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a Risk Alert with its Observations from Examinations of Private Fund Advisers. This Risk Alert is one of a series of signals of the SEC’s focus on private fund advisers under Chairman Gensler, including Form PF amendments… Continue Reading
Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Government Contracts

Webinar: OSHA ETS Employee COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Mandates

New Requirements, Tips and Traps for Large Employers November 10, 2021 Complimentary Webinar 1-2 p.m. (ET) | 12-1 p.m. (CT) | 10-11 a.m. (PT) REGISTER NOW On Nov. 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employees of large employers either to get vaccinated or to test negative… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends

Return to the Yates Memo: Deputy Attorney General Announces Tougher Approach to White Collar Enforcement

RELATED UPDATE: New DOJ Guidance on Corporate Criminal Enforcement (9/16/2022) On October 28th, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) is renewing its focus on white collar crime and enforcement, in remarks delivered during the American Bar Association’s 36th National Institute on White Collar Crime. Deputy Attorney… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation

Department of Justice Announces National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team

On October 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its plans for increased scrutiny of the cryptocurrency market with the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) to pursue criminal investigations and actions against cryptocurrency misuse. The NCET will focus on “crimes committed by virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Fraud, Deception and False Claims

Department of Justice Announces Increased FCA Enforcement Through New Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative

On October 6, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new Civil Fraud Cyber Initiative to “combine the department’s expertise in civil fraud enforcement, government procurement and cybersecurity to combat new and emerging cyber threats to the security of sensitive information and critical systems.”… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Government Contracts

Corporate Campaign Contributions Are a Crime, Independent Expenditures Legitimate: Sixth Circuit Explains the Difference

The Sixth Circuit has upheld the felony conviction of a former state party chair for illegal campaign contributions by a corporation he owned, in a case that both serves as an important reminder of the prohibition on corporate contributions to federal campaigns and shows that the Justice Department may be stepping up criminal election law… Continue Reading
Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Financial Institution Regulation, Securities and Commodities

FINRA’s Important Reminder to Firms—Don’t Forget to Supervise Third-Party Vendors

Overview Broker-dealers, like most companies, rely on third-party vendors for a wide variety of functions.  This common practice of outsourcing does not relieve a broker-dealer of its regulatory compliance and supervision obligations over the outsourced functions.  Accordingly, management and supervision of third-party vendors present important issues that merit careful attention from regulatory, compliance, and legal… Continue Reading
Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Sanctions, Trade Embargo, and Export Controls

Sanctions and Export Compliance Strategies for Supply Chains

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
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Fraud, Deception and False Claims

Tide Is Turning Against FCA Case Dismissals

According to a July 28 article in Law360 by McGuireWoods lawyers Michael J. Podberesky, John S. Moran, Todd R. Steggerda, David Pivnick and Cassandra M. Burns, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision declining to review an appeal of a Seventh Circuit case that could have resolved a three-way circuit split regarding the proper standard for… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Fraud, Deception and False Claims

COVID-19 Fraud Surge: Criminal Enforcement of Pandemic-Related Fraud Reaches “Unprecedented Pace,” DOJ Warns

While the spread of COVID-19 may finally be slowing, government enforcement of pandemic-related fraud is not. It is surging. And that may explain why you are hearing from the government more than usual, or will soon. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that it has now charged nearly 500 defendants with crimes… Continue Reading
Compliance, Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Securities and Commodities

CFPB’s “Change of Direction” After One Month: New Goals, More Attorneys

In the month since he became Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, David Uejio has implemented a “change of direction” at the agency, making sweeping announcements on a weekly basis. Read our complete commentary on McGuireWoods’ Consumer FinSights blog, which assesses where the CFPB stands after the Biden administration’s first month and the likely… Continue Reading
Enforcement and Prosecution Policy and Trends, Fraud, Deception and False Claims

DOJ Indictment Highlights Methods Utilized by State Sponsored Cybercriminal Organization to Attack Major Industry and Government Entities

For the third time in less than a month, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a major enforcement action against an international cybercriminal organization that infiltrated public and private computer networks, fundamentally compromised these systems, and sought to obtain over a billion dollars from this illicit access. This past week’s indictment, which was… Continue Reading

We use cookies to enhance your experience of our website. By continuing to use this website, you agree to the use of these cookies. For more information and to learn how you can change your cookie settings, please see our policy.

Agree