Category Archives: Bribery and Corruption

New Criminal Tariff Evasion Charges Signal DOJ’s Escalating Trade Fraud Push

by Gina Parlovecchio, Hiral Mehta, Arun Rao and Xiamora Damour 

Left to Right: Gina Parlovecchio, Hiral Mehta, Arun Rao and Xiamora Damour (photos courtesy of Mayer Brown).

On November 17, 2025, the US Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey filed a criminal complaint alleging that Indonesian jewelry company UBS Gold, its Indonesian co-owner Michael Yahya, and two company employees engaged in a five-year-long conspiracy to evade duties and tariffs owed for shipments of jewelry to the United States. The complaint alleges that defendants avoided over $86 million in duties and tariffs on more than $1.2 billion in jewelry shipments. This is the second high-profile criminal tariff evasion case brought since the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced trade and customs fraud as one of its areas of focus in its white collar Enforcement Guidance earlier this year[1]—an area that likely will remain a priority, regardless of the outcome of ongoing litigation challenging President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs. Importers should monitor their current tariff programs and, if needed, develop compliant tariff strategies. 

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Extracting Value Amid Rising Risk: Compliance and M&A Pressures in the Global Resources Sector

by T. Markus Funk, PhD, Stephen Shergold, David Lewis, and Allan Taylor

photos of authors

Left to Right: T. Markus Funk, Stephen Shergold, David Lewis and Allan Taylor (Photos courtesy of White & Case LLP)

The natural resources extraction industry—spanning mining, oil and gas, and critical minerals—faces an increasingly complex compliance, legal and regulatory environment. Over the next three years, operators will encounter heightened scrutiny across environmental, social and governance (ESG) domains, as well as greater geopolitical and enforcement risks.

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DOJ Announces First FCPA Enforcement Activity After Months-Long Pause

by Kimberly A. Parker, Jay Holtmeier, Erin G.H. Sloane, and Christopher Cestaro

Left to Right: Kimberly A. Parker, Jay Holtmeier, Erin G.H. Sloane, and Christopher Cestaro (photos courtesy of WilmerHale)

Over the past week, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) unsealed its first Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement action and issued its first declination since the pause in FCPA enforcement mandated by President Donald Trump’s February 10, 2025 Executive Order (“February Executive Order”)[1] and the subsequent issuance of updated FCPA enforcement guidelines, the Guidelines for Investigations and Enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) (“June Guidelines”).[2]  

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Italy under OECD Scrutiny: Foreign Bribery and the Rule of Law

by Simone Lonati 

Photo courtesy of the author

In order to respond to the phenomenon of the so-called “global crime”[1] in the last decades there has been a proliferation of multilateral international and regional treaties in criminal matters, together with executives and soft law measures in the field. International corruption is not an exception: starting from the 1990s, thanks to the pivotal role of the United States back in 1977 when it adopted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, there has been a wave of conventions adopted by bodies such as the OECD, the UN, the Council of Europe and the European Union, each bringing different approaches and demands to domestic legal systems.

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Second Circuit Reinstates FIFA Bribery Convictions, Reviving Honest Services Fraud Prosecutions for Foreign Commercial Bribery

by David A. Last, Rahul Mukhi, Victor L. Hou, Lisa Vicens, Matthew M. Yelovich, and Sarah Pyun

From left to right:  David A. Last, Rahul Mukhi, Victor L. Hou, Lisa Vicens, Matthew M. Yelovich, and Sarah Pyun (photos courtesy of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP)

In a significant decision with broad implications for companies and individuals operating internationally, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has reversed the acquittal of a former media executive and a sports marketing company in the long-running FIFA bribery investigation.[1]  The ruling reinstates jury convictions for honest services wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, holding that the federal honest services fraud statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1346, can apply to foreign commercial bribery schemes.[2]

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DOJ Announces New Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement Guidelines

by David B. Anders, John F. Savarese, and Aline R. Flodr

Photos of the authors

Left to right: David B. Anders, John F. Savarese, and Aline R. Flodr (photos courtesy of authors)

On June 9, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the awaited new guidelines for prosecutors investigating and enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”).  These enforcement guidelines were issued in response to President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security,” which directed DOJ to “pause” certain FCPA investigations while reassessing enforcement priorities and to issue new FCPA enforcement guidelines within 180 days.  The stated aim of the new policy is to reduce undue burdens on American companies operating abroad and to focus on activities that undermine U.S. national interests.  The memorandum announcing the guidelines directs prosecutors to consider the following non-exhaustive factors and confirms that these new guidelines shall govern all current and future FCPA investigations and enforcement actions:

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A Reflection on the OECD’s Report (Part I): Companies’ Assessments of Anti-Corruption Compliance

by Veronica Root Martinez and Liz Carrasco

Photos of the authors

Left to right: Veronica Root Martinez and Liz Carrasco (photos courtesy of authors)

As anti-corruption compliance programs have become standard within corporations, an increasing number of companies are shifting their focus to the effectiveness of these programs. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report Companies’ Assessments of Anti-Corruption Compliance[1] provides a detailed look at this shift within the private sector. Drawing on survey data and examples from a range of companies, the report highlights a growing recognition that compliance cannot be isolated from a company’s culture, leadership, or structure. In short, the question is not merely whether a compliance program exists, but whether it is effective.

The report includes anonymized company case studies to illustrate various approaches and insights. This blog post explores three key aspects of the report: (1) why companies assess the effectiveness of their anti-corruption compliance programs; (2) what methodologies they use to do so; (3) the tools companies leverage to monitor progress over time. 

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Supreme Court Upholds Expansive Reading of Wire Fraud Statute

by David A. Last, Rahul Mukhi, Joon H. Kim, Matthew M. Yelovich, and Michael Cronin

From left to right: David A. Last, Rahul Mukhi, Joon H. Kim, Matthew M. Yelovich, and Michael Cronin (photos courtesy of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP)

On May 22, 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the wire fraud conviction of a government contractor in Kousisis v. United States, rejecting the argument that federal wire fraud requires proof of economic loss to the victim. In so holding, the Court endorsed the “fraudulent inducement” theory of wire fraud, marking a victory for federal prosecutors after several recent decisions that narrowed the scope of federal fraud statutes. This decision takes on added significance given the current administration’s renewed emphasis on False Claims Act (“FCA”) enforcement, as companies now face heightened exposure under both criminal fraud and civil FCA theories for false representations to government agencies, even absent demonstrable financial harm.

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The Trump Administration’s Changes to White Collar Enforcement Are Transformative, Not Cyclical

by Robertson Park

Photos of the author

Photo courtesy of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

When Administrations change, it is inevitable that there will be new leadership and priorities which inform their actions.  This applies across governmental functions, and the Department of Justice has never been exempted.  I served in the Department — both in the USAO (DC) and in Main Justice (Fraud) — under Presidents Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2, and Obama. My wife served for almost 20 years in the Public Integrity Section under similarly diverse leadership.  Joseph DiGenova was my US Attorney, and AG Edwin Meese signed my Criminal Division Appointment. I worked under Attorneys General as diverse as Edwin Meese, Bill Barr, Janet Reno, and Eric Holder. Sometimes the changes in the Department were substantial, and at others they were more nuanced.  But the impact on traditional white-collar investigations and enforcement was generally reflected in shifts toward new initiatives and away from others, while not altering the fundamental landscape of white-collar enforcement.  In those years, white-collar practice moved through procurement fraud, the Savings and Loan Crisis, invigoration of foreign bribery enforcement, health care, and more sophisticated forms of financial and market fraud.

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UK, French, and Swiss Enforcement Authorities Announce New Alliance

by Lloyd Firth, Dr. Jan-S. Wendler, Claire M. Guehenno, Kimberly A. Parker, Jay Holtmeier, Erin G.H. Sloane, Christopher Cestaro, and Lindsey Cullen

Top left to right: Lloyd Firth, Dr. Jan-S. Wendler, Claire M. Guehenno and Kimberly A. Parker. Bottom left to right: Jay Holtmeier, Erin G.H. Sloane, Christopher Cestaro and Lindsey Cullen (Photos courtesy of WilmerHale).

Summary

Anti-bribery and corruption agencies in the UK, France and Switzerland recently announced a shared commitment to tackling international bribery and corruption, by way of a new taskforce intended to strengthen collaboration.

This taskforce was announced by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), France’s Parquet National Financier (PNF) and the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) at a meeting in London. Its founding statement notes “the significant threat of bribery and corruption” and states that its members recognise that “success relies on us working closely and effectively together”. It intends to deliver a working group for case cooperation and increased best practice sharing.

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