Latest news with #ForeignCorruptPracticesAct
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Justice Dept. to Take Narrow Approach to Prosecuting Corporate Bribery Abroad
The Justice Department has closed about half of its open investigations into bribery by U.S. businesses overseas, but plans to initiate prosecutions to more narrowly focus on misconduct that hurts the country's capacity to compete with foreign companies, officials said on Tuesday. President Trump signed an executive order in February pausing all of the department's investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, pending a review of enforcement policies by Todd Blanche, the department's No. 2 official. Good government groups criticized the freeze as the elimination of guardrails needed to prevent corporate abuses. The move coincided with the closing of investigations into the aircraft manufacturer Bombardier and the medical device maker Stryker, among others. But Mr. Blanche, in a statement, said the decision was made to align enforcement of the act with the administration's broader goal of increasing U.S. leverage against foreign businesses and governments, by 'shifting prosecutorial resources to cases that clearly implicate U.S. national security and competitiveness.' Mr. Blanche, a former criminal defense lawyer for Mr. Trump, accused the Biden administration under Attorney General Merrick B. Garland of opening too many cases, 'burdening companies' and damaging national interests. Critics said the new guidelines were a dangerous reversal that abandoned major investigations, including a deal the Justice Department struck in May with Boeing that spared the company from taking criminal responsibility for deadly 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. Many families of the victims vigorously opposed the agreement. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US Justice Department resumes scaled-back enforcement against foreign bribery
By Chris Prentice NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department will restart enforcement of the decades-old law outlawing foreign bribery, with a scaled-down approach aimed at reducing burdens on U.S. companies, according to a memo and remarks by a top official. The new approach, detailed in a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, will focus the DOJ's scrutiny on alleged misconduct that hurts U.S. firms' ability to compete with foreign rivals, involves key infrastructure and is tied to operations of a cartel or transnational criminal organization. "The through line in these guidelines is that they require the vindication of U.S. interests," Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, said at an anti-corruption event in New York on Tuesday. The number of prosecutors in the DOJ's unit tasked with enforcing that law has dwindled in recent months after Republican President Donald Trump ordered a review of U.S. enforcement of the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which outlaws companies that operate in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials. The law has become a cornerstone of federal efforts to combat corruption. Blanche's memo indicated the DOJ will pursue scaled-down FCPA enforcement, with all new investigations requiring approval from top officials. Under Blanche, the DOJ has reviewed pending FCPA matters and chosen to close certain cases, Galeotti said, noting that fighting white-collar and corporate crime is a "critical" part of the criminal division's work. The DOJ is changing other policies in its pursuit against white-collar crime, including by promising it will decline to prosecute companies that report, cooperate and fix issues, Galeotti said. He said the DOJ has nearly finished its review of criminal division corporate monitorships, the practice of installing firms to oversee a company's compliance after they have agreed to resolve allegations of misconduct. The Department has chosen to keep some monitorships in place, while ending others, he said. "Monitors are meant to be a temporary bridge," he said.
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Foreign-Bribery Probes Resume at DOJ With Focus on US Interests
The Justice Department will resume investigations and prosecutions into bribes that companies or individuals pay to foreign governments or other entities with a renewed focus on protecting US businesses and industries. A new directive issued Tuesday by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche resumes investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act after they were halted by President Donald Trump when he took office. Trump directed the Justice Department to conduct a review and make changes to how they're conducted.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US Justice Department reportedly shrinks foreign bribery investigation team
-- The team at the U.S. Justice Department responsible for investigating allegations of foreign bribery has significantly shrunk, according to a Reuters report on Monday. This comes as President Donald Trump's administration reassesses its enforcement of an anti-corruption law that has been in place for decades. The Department of Justice's Fraud Section, which is in charge of enforcing the anti-bribery law, has been reduced to around 15 prosecutors. This is a substantial decrease from the 32 prosecutors reported in January, as stated on the department's website, the report said. This reduction follows an executive order issued by President Trump in February. The order called for a temporary halt in the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a law enacted in 1977. The FCPA prohibits companies operating in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials and is considered a fundamental part of federal efforts to fight corruption. Related articles US Justice Department reportedly shrinks foreign bribery investigation team SEC progresses toward DOGE goals, eyes voluntary workforce reductions Trump signs orders to enhance drone defenses, support supersonic travel
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US team investigating foreign bribery dwindles, sources say
By Andrew Goudsward, Sarah N. Lynch and Chris Prentice WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department's team dedicated to investigating allegations of foreign bribery has dwindled as President Donald Trump's administration reviews its enforcement of a decades-old law aimed at preventing corruption, according to three people familiar with the matter. The DOJ's Fraud Section unit tasked with enforcing the anti-bribery law has shrunk to about 15 prosecutors, according to two of the sources. That number is down from 32 as of a January report published on the department's website. The cuts follow Trump's executive order in February calling for a pause in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 law that prohibits companies that operate in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials and has become a cornerstone of federal efforts to combat corruption. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment. The DOJ launched a 180-day review of its enforcement of the FCPA following Trump's order, which kicked off an exodus of staff from the unit. Prosecutors largely moved elsewhere in the Justice Department's Criminal Division, including its Healthcare and Marketplace Fraud units, two of the sources said. New guidance on how prosecutors are to handle FCPA cases is being drafted and expected to be released soon, one of the sources said. Attorney General Pam Bondi in February directed foreign bribery prosecutors to prioritize cases related to drug cartels, a Trump administration emphasis that has not traditionally been a focus of the unit. A memo from the Criminal Division last month listed foreign bribery below issues such as fraud in government programs and tariff evasion as corporate enforcement priorities for the Trump administration. The DOJ has been scaling back its enforcement against white-collar crimes and focusing on different types of cases. It has also dropped other initiatives aimed at preventing corruption. (Reporting Chris Prentice in New York, Andrew Goudward and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Rod Nickel)
