Insights & News

The False Claims Act (FCA) criminalizes fraud, waste, abuse, and regulatory violations, and enacts provisions that protect whistleblowers from retaliation (and that give them an opportunity to bring a lawsuit against the violator).  Under the FCA, qui tam actions may be brought against wrongdoers on behalf of the government.  This can expose the purported wrongdoer to significant criminal liability. If you’ve been sued pursuant to a qui tam action, the stakes are quite high.  Liability under the FCA can lead to penalties of up to three times the losses incurred by the government (as well as additional penalties for each […]

If you or your organization has been accused of having bribed a foreign official in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), then you may be concerned about the repercussions of conviction.  FCPA violations can give rise to significant criminal penalties that include up to $2,000,000 per violation (for entities) and up to $250,000 per violation and five years’ imprisonment for individuals.  This is not accounting for civil penalties, which may be imposed separately. Given the high stakes nature of FCPA anti-bribery litigation, it’s important that you understand the basics.  Let’s take a quick look. The Foreign Corrupt Practices […]

If you’ve been accused or charged with insider trading, then you may be feeling confused, anxious, and frustrated by the prospect of criminal litigation.  Insider trading accusations can often be unexpected (for example, if you acted on information that you presumed to be public knowledge). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has prioritized the prosecution of insider trading violations on account of concerns that insider trading “undermines investor confidence in the fairness and integrity of the securities markets.”  Still, despite the fact that prosecutors tend to be quite aggressive in litigating insider trading cases, there’s reason to be optimistic about […]