Compliance & Ethics

Zephyr Aviation, a contractor for the Department of Homeland Security, has agreed to pay $3.9 million to settle federal allegations that it charged the government for flight hours that never occurred. The agreement, announced Friday by the Department of Justice, resolves claims that the company and its owners, Frederick Credno Jr. and Frederick W. Credno III, violated the False Claims Act while performing transportation work for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Italy’s competition watchdog has ordered Wizz Air to pay a €500,000 fine after finding that the airline’s much-promoted “Wizz All You Can Fly” subscription was marketed without clearly spelling out the limits that came with it.

Patients Choice Laboratories, an Indianapolis-based diagnostic testing company, has agreed to pay $9.62 million to settle federal allegations that it billed Medicare for unnecessary respiratory tests and used kickbacks to generate referrals, according to a settlement announced by federal prosecutors on Thursday.

Australia’s financial regulator has filed two major Federal Court actions alleging that SQM Research and Interprac Financial Planning failed in their gatekeeping duties, contributing to widespread losses tied to the Shield Master Fund and First Guardian Master Fund. The coordinated actions demonstrate the ASIC’s growing pressure on research houses, licensees, and intermediaries responsible for steering Australians into high-risk investment products.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance is stepping back into gear after the federal government shutdown, and its first order of business is tackling the more than 900 registration statements that piled up while the lights were off. To help issuers understand what happens next, the Division has released new guidance that outlines how filings submitted during the shutdown will move forward now that staff are back at their desks.

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into whether Google is complying with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) after signs emerged that the company may be pushing news publishers’ content lower in search results. The case marks one of the most significant early tests of how far the EU will go in enforcing the bloc’s landmark digital competition rules.

Alinta Energy has paid $718,740 ($1,089,000 AUD) in penalties after the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) issued a record 15 infringement notices over alleged mishandling of Centrepay deductions and failures to refund and notify customers within the required timeframe.