Compliance & Ethics

Both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have charged Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and its former head of equity syndicate desk, Pawan Passi, with engaging in a multi-year fraud scheme related to the disclosure of confidential information concerning the sale of large quantities of stock, commonly known as "block trades." The SEC's press release details the charges, and the DOJ has announced resolutions involving non-prosecution agreements (NPA) and deferred prosecution agreements (DPA).

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Shanchun Huang, the CEO of Future FinTech Group Inc., with manipulative trading and failure to disclose beneficial ownership of the company's stock. The charges relate to Huang's actions in 2020, when he allegedly engaged in deceptive trading practices using an offshore account shortly before assuming the role of Future FinTech's CEO.

In an effort to proactively identify and address criminal conduct within the Southern District of New York (SDNY), U.S. Attorney Damian Williams has announced the initiation of the Whistleblower Pilot Program for 2024. The program aims to encourage the early and voluntary disclosure of criminal conduct by individuals involved in certain non-violent offenses. Williams outlined the details of the program and its potential impact on the District's enforcement efforts.

Turkey's competition authority has taken a firm stance against Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc., announcing a daily fine of 4.8 million lira (approximately $160,000) for Meta's failure to provide adequate documentation in response to a prior investigation.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced charges against the global software company SAP SE for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in connection with bribery schemes across multiple countries. The company has agreed to pay nearly $100 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest to settle the SEC’s charges.

Atlantic Home Health Care LLC (AHH), a home healthcare agency operating in nine states, has agreed to pay $9,990,944 to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act. The settlement stems from accusations that AHH submitted false claims to the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program (EEOICP), a healthcare initiative administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) for the benefit of Department of Energy employees and contractors with occupational illnesses.

In a significant stride toward combating global corruption, the United States has enacted the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA), allowing federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges against foreign government officials soliciting or accepting bribes from U.S. companies. The newly minted law, a component of the National Defense Authorization Act, addresses a longstanding gap in the fight against corruption, as it criminalizes the "demand" side of cross-border corruption, providing a crucial addition to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).