The James Mintz Group has updated the firm’s infographic of Where the Bribes Are. In addition to the electronic-interactive version, the firm produced a .pdf FCPA Map – Update as of Feb 2013. Previously: FCPA Visualization

Where the Bribes Are

Sometimes It Pays to Be Corrupt
Maxim Mironov of the IE Business School in Spain, has some research showing that corruption can lead to success. At least it appears to be successful in Russia. Mironov devised a method for measuring a Muscovite’s “propensity to corrupt” using data on traffic accidents and traffic violations from 1997 to 2007. He then used this [...]

The New Resource Guide to the FCPA
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice jointly released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (.pdf). The 120-page guide provides a detailed analysis of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and closely examines the SEC and DOJ approach to FCPA enforcement. The guide addresses a wide variety of [...]

Adoption and the FCPA
The latest Opinion Procedure Release from the Department of Justice comes from a group of non-profit adoption agencies. Based on the stories I’ve heard from friends who have adopted from overseas, I’m not surprised that adoption agencies are concerned about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Opinion Release No. 12-02 is focused on an event hosted [...]

Royalty Is Not Always a Foreign Official
I’m not quite sure how royalty works in various parts of the world. From the latest FCPA Opinion release, the parties to a business deal also did not fully understand. The proposed business relationship has some serious red flags so I’m not surprised the parties requested the opinion. According to the release, submission for a [...]
FBI and FCPA
In addition to learning about the FBI’s compliance program, understanding white collar criminals, and a visit to the FBI Academy, the FBI Corporate Compliance Officer Outreach Event included a very frank discussion of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The program brought in attorneys from the Department of Justice to discuss their approach to bringing FCPA [...]

Bribes are Like a Box of Chocolates
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged medical device company Orthofix International N.V. with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. A subsidiary paid bribes, referred to as “chocolates”, to Mexican officials in order to obtain lucrative sales contracts with government hospitals. (I assume every commentator on this story will reference Forrest Gump, including me.) The “chocolates” [...]
Real Estate Executive Guilty of FCPA Violations
Back in February, 2009, Morgan Stanley self-reported FCPA violations in the firm’s China real estate investment operations. Garth Peterson, the ex-Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing managing director has pleaded guilty for his role in evading he firm’s internal controls for the purposes of personal gain. Peterson agreed to a settlement of the SEC’s charges in [...]

Handy Decision Trees to Help with your Bribes
Thinking about making a payment or giving “anything of value” as part of a business meeting and wondering if you could be prosecuted for it under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or the Travel Act? Just reach into your briefcase and pull out a handy-dandy decision tree to help you through this difficult process. T. [...]

FCPA Conviction Upheld
There are few court cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Most of those accused quickly settle and move on. With few court cases that means the appellate decisions helping to interpret the FCPA are rare. Yesterday we had one of those rare sightings. Frederic Bourke was convicted of FCPA violations in 2009. Bourke co-founded [...]
Recent Stories
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- Regulation of Investment Advisers
- Compliance Bricks and Mortar for June 14
- The Leaky Merger and Insider Trading
- Action in Congress
- Red Flags for Insider Trading
- Compliance Bricks and Mortar for June 7
- Money Market Fund Changes Proposed
- A Manual of Style for Compliance
- Doesn’t Matter if Real Estate is a Security if You Lie to the Feds


