The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission released the second edition of the Resource Guide to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on July 3, its first update in eight years. The resource guide details the government’s expectations for an internal control system, highlighting that it should “take Read More
Boston pharmaceutical company Alexion agreed to a $21 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding allegations that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act regulations in its dealings via subsidiaries in Turkey and Russia. The SEC alleged that Alexion subsidiaries in Turkey made payments to foreign officials for Read More
elegram Group Inc. has settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission and will pay $18.5 million in civil penalties, as well as $1.22 billion back to investors, according to a news release. Telegram, a startup known for its encrypted messaging platform, sold $1.7 billion in digital tokens to investors world-wide, Read More
A Supreme Court ruling limiting the fines the Securities and Exchange Commission can impose on defendants to repay victims of fraud may lead to lower payouts to whistleblowers. Earlier this week the Supreme Court upheld the SEC’s right to disgorgement of funds that resulted from fraud, in an 8-1 ruling, Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced a record whistleblower award of nearly $50 million to an anonymous individual last Thursday. The award is the largest since the program’s inception in 2011 and brings the total amount of awards given out to over $100 million in this fiscal year alone. The Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission has received a dramatic increase in the number of whistleblower tips, likely due to the circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic, including an increase in layoff and furloughs, and many employees working from home. According to Steven Peikin, co-director of the division of enforcement of Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission has settled charges against three former KPMG LLP audit partners for improperly sharing answers to internal training exams and for actions that attempted to impede an investigation into the misconduct. The SEC previously charged KPMG with violations connected to the exam sharing scandal, as well Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has agreed to pay $5 million to settle charges that it provided misleading information to clients in its retail wrap fee programs regarding trade execution services and transaction costs. The penalty for charging hidden fees will be distributed to Read More
Securities and Exchange Commission officials issued a unprecedented statement this week urging companies to be forthright and open in their earnings reports, calls with investors, and other disclosures during this time of economic upheaval. The statement underscores the unusual times companies are facing and the disruption the Coronavirus Crisis has Read More
The Securities and Exchange Commission awarded a whistleblower “with compliance-related responsibilities” $450,000 for providing information that helped in a successful enforcement action. While the SEC didn’t name the whistleblower, the company involved, or provide his or her title—in keeping with its confidentiality protections—it did say in a statement that it Read More
