White Collar Crime Prof Blog

WSJ On FCPA

The Wall Street Journal editorial page weighs in on FCPA prosecutions here this morning, bewailing DOJ's increasingly broad construction of the statute and calling for reform. The editorial hits the FCPA nail right on the head, noting Mother Justice's recent setbacks in three FCPA cases, but also noting that big companies settle FCPA cases for outrageously large sums instead of shouldering the risks and further financial burdens of protracted litigation against the DOJ and SEC.

Don't expect any of this to change without a statutory fix. DOJ has proven itself remarkably tone deaf, stubborn, and obtuse with respect to FCPA enforcement. Besides, FCPA investigations bring in the big bucks, concomitantly creating a specialty practice that is easily marketable to the private and in-house bar after government employment.

(wisenberg)

NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson

If you are planning to attend the NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson, please book a room quickly - the room block will soon be closed.

The NACDL White Collar Criminal Defense College at Stetson is a “boot-camp” program for practitioners wishing to gain key advocacy skills and learn substantive white collar law. The program will cover client retention, investigation in a white collar case, handling searches and grand jury subpoenas, and dealing with parallel proceedings. Participants will have the experience of negotiating a plea, making proffers, and examining which experts to hire and how to protect the client in this process. Interactive sessions with top white collar practitioners will allow the participants to learn trial skills such as opening statements, cross-examination, jury instructions, closing arguments, and sentencing – all in the context of a white collar matter.

More Information and to registrar here

Faculty

A. Brian Albritton, Phelps Dunbar, LLP

Henry W. Asbill (Hank), Jones Day

Joe Bodiford, BodifordLaw

Barry Boss, Cozen O'Connor

Ellen C. Brotman, Montgomery McCracken

Robert M. Cary, Williams & Connolly LLP

Vince J. Connelly, Mayer Brown

Lucian E. Dervan, Southern Illinois University School of Law

Donna Lee Elm, Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Florida

James E. Felman, Kynes, Markman & Felman, P.A.

Jack E. Fernandez, Zuckerman Spaeder, LLP

Todd Foster, Cohen & Foster, P.A.

David Gerger, Gerger and Clarke

Nina J. Ginsberg, DiMuroGinsberg, PC

Lawrence S. Goldman, Law Offices of Lawrence S. Goldman

John Wesley Hall, Jr., John Wesley Hall Little Rock Criminal Defense

A. Jeff Ifrah, Ifrah Law

Anthony A. Joseph, Maynard Cooper and Gale, PC

Frank Klim, Stetson University College of Law

John F. Lauro, Lauro Law Firm

Bruce Lyons, Lyons and Sanders Chartered

Terence F. MacCarthy, Distinguished Professorial Lecturer, Stetson

Edward A Mallett, Mallett and Saper, L.L.P.

Bruce Maloy, Maloy, Jenkins, & Parker

David Oscar Markus, Markus and Markus, PLLC

James McComas, Retired

Michael D. Monico, Monico, Pavich and Spevack

Jane W. Moscowitz, Moscowitz and Moscowitz, P.A.

William Nortman, Akerman

Kevin J. Napper, Carlton Fields

Cynthia Eva Orr, Goldstein, Goldstein and Hilley

Patricia A. Pileggi, Schiff Hardin, LLP

Barry J. Pollack, Miller & Chevalier

Mark P. Rankin, Shutts and Bowen, LLP

Shana-Tara Regon, NACDL

Michele A. Roberts, Skadden Arps Slate Meagher and Flom, LLP

Charles H. Rose III, Stetson University College of Law

Kerri L. Ruttenberg, Jones Day

Gail Shifman, Shifmangroup

Adam P. Schwartz, Carlton Fields

William N. Shepherd, Holland & Knight LLP

Neal R. Sonnett, Law Offices of Neal R. Sonnett, PA

Ed Suarez, The Law Offices of Ed Suarez, P.A.

Larry Thompson, Former Deputy Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice and Vice President of PepsiCo

Gary R. Trombley, Trombley & Hanes

Albert A. Vondra, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP

Morris “Sandy” Weinberg, Jr., Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

Peter H. White, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

Solomon L. Wisenberg, Barnes & Thornburg LLP

(esp)

Ding Dong, Grand Jury Calling.

Today's WSJ reports here,  in an article by Joe Palazzolo and Emily Glazer, that Avon is facing a DOJ and federal grand jury invesitgation of FCPA allegations. It is unclear who leaked the grand jury aspect of the case, but Avon does not deny that there is an investigation and you can't run a federal FCPA probe without a grand jury. According to the article, an internal 2005 audit report revealed questionable payments to Chinese officials and third parties, but the report wasn't shared with the audit committee, the full Board of Directors, or the finance committee. The article gives no details on the 2005 internal audit report. Avon apparently launched a full fledged internal investigation, but not until 2008. No discussion in the article of any potential statute of limitation issues.

(wisenberg)