Category: Featured News

These are brief news articles written by Internal Audit 360 editors. They may contain links to source material, but they are self contained and do not link to a longer version of the news item.

false claims act violation

Modernizing Medicine Settles False Claims Act Allegations for $45M

Modernizing Medicine (ModMed), an electronic health record (EHR) technology vendor, will pay $45 million over allegations that it violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by soliciting and receiving kickbacks in exchange for referrals and by causing healthcare providers to submit false claims, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said. The Anti-Kickback Read More

Danske Bank

Danske Bank Books $2.1B in Potential Estonia Money Laundering Settlement

Danske Bank said in a recent financial report it expects to pay a total of 15.5 billion Danish kroner (U.S. $2.1 billion) to U.S. and Danish enforcement authorities to settle allegations that for years it allowed more than $200 billion in dirty money to be laundered through its former Estonia Read More

Compliance fall reading list

Judge Blocks Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster

A district court judge has ruled in favor of the Department of Justice in its civil antitrust lawsuit to block book publisher Penguin Random House’s proposed $2.2 billion acquisition of Simon & Schuster, the DoJ said. “Upon review of the extensive record and careful consideration of the parties’ arguments, the Read More

Money stacks

SEC Issues Final Incentive Pay ‘Clawback’ Rule

The Securities and Exchange Commission finalized its long-awaited so-called “clawback rule” on Wednesday, which would require public companies to recover “erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation” on a wide range of executive officers following a restatement due to misconduct. The SEC had reopened its comment period in June concerning the proposed clawback Read More

Google Image

Google Agrees to ‘Legal Process’ Compliance Reforms in DoJ Resolution

In a first-of-its-kind resolution with the Department of Justice, Google has agreed to reform and upgrade its compliance program in a way that ensures “timely and complete responses” to lawful court orders, including subpoenas and search warrants, the Justice Department announced. “This agreement demonstrates the Department’s resolve in ensuring that Read More

Mattels Financial Reporting Errors

Mattel Fined for Financial Reporting Errors; Former PwC Partner Charged

Mattel has agreed to a cease-and-desist order and will pay a $3.5 million civil penalty to settle charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to misstatements the U.S. multinational toy company made in its third and fourth quarter 2017 financial statements. The SEC separately has initiated litigation against Read More

Board diversity rules repealed

Five Companies Lost Directors Over Potential Clayton Act Violations

Seven directors among five companies have resigned from corporate board positions in response to concerns by the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division that their roles potentially violated the Clayton Act, the agency announced. Section 8 of the Clayton Act prohibits directors and officers from serving simultaneously on the boards of Read More

Non-GAAP image

PCAOB Hits Audit Partner with Record $150,000 Penalty

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has imposed the largest civil money penalty in its history when it hit a former audit partner with a $150,000 fine. It says the auditor, Jonathan Taylor, repeatedly misled PCAOB inspectors and investigators during two inspections and a subsequent investigation. It also barred Read More

French Conglomerate Admits to Supporting Terrorists; Gets Massive Fine

Lafarge, a French multinational construction conglomerate, and its now-defunct Syrian subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS), pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide illicit payments and resources to two U.S.-designated foreign terrorist groups: the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the al-Nusrah Front (ANF). These companies further admitted to negotiating Read More

FinCEN Issues Final Rule on Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirement

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a final rule implementing a beneficial ownership information reporting requirement. The final rule, which implements the registration and reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), will require “tens of millions” of companies doing business in the United States to report information Read More