Month: February 2023

Stanley Black and Decker Discloses Corruption Probe

Stanley Black & Decker Discloses Corruption Probe

Stanley Black & Decker disclosed in its Feb. 23 annual report that it is looking into potential violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In its annual report, the U.S. manufacturing company said it “has identified certain transactions relating to its international operations that may raise compliance questions” under Read More

Department of Justice

Department of Justice Releases Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy

The Department of Justice on Feb. 22 issued its much-anticipated Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. The policy, which was developed in response to an agency memo published in September 2022 by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco (the Monaco Memo), was prepared by a Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy Working Group, comprised of U.S. Read More

U.S. Treasury Building

OFAC Sanctions Nine Entities for Selling Iranian Oil

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it has sanctioned nine entities across multiple jurisdictions that played a critical role in the production, sale, and shipment of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum to buyers in Asia. Treasury targeted Read More

SEC: African Gold to Pay $100K for Reporting, Recordkeeping Violations

African Gold Acquisition, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $103,591 civil penalty to settle charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission for internal controls, reporting, and recordkeeping violations, the SEC announced. According to the SEC order, since the closing Read More

Roadrunner Accounting Fraud

Roadrunner Settles SEC Charges for Multi-Year Accounting Fraud

Shipping and logistics company Roadrunner has settled charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission resulting from its engagement in a multi-year accounting fraud scheme. According to the SEC’s Feb. 14 cease-and-desist order, from at least July 2013 through January 2017, Roadrunner manipulated its financial reports to hit prior earnings guidance Read More

Gentex accounting problems

SEC Fines Gentex and CFO for Lapses in Accounting for Bonuses

Manufacturing company Gentex agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $4 million civil penalty in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission resulting from deficiencies in Gentex’s accounting for its executive and employee bonus compensation programs, the SEC announced. Charges were also brought against Gentex Chief Financial Read More

DOJ

Department of Justice Withdraws Three Outdated Antitrust Policy Statements

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division announced Feb. 3 that it has withdrawn three outdated antitrust policy statements related to enforcement in healthcare markets. The three policy statements that have been withdrawn are the Department of Justice and FTC Antitrust Enforcement Policy Statements in the Health Care Area (September 1993); Statements of Read More

Limiting excessive credit card late fees

CFPB Seeks Comment on Proposed Rule to Curb ‘Excessive’ Credit Card Late Fees

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) seeks public comment on a newly proposed rule that would curb “excessive” credit card late fees. According to the CFPB, “major credit card issuers continue to profit off late fees that are protected by an expansive immunity provision. Credit card companies have also relied Read More

Activision Blizzard SEC Action

Activision Blizzard to Pay $35M for Violating Whistleblower Protections

Video game company Activision Blizzard agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $35 million penalty in a Feb. 3 settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission resulting from disclosure control failures and violations of the SEC whistleblower protection rule, the agency announced. According to the SEC order, in Read More