Red Flags That May Indicate You Might be at Risk of Violating FCPA
In 2020, the DOJ and SEC brought FCPA enforcement actions against 12 companies and imposed financial penalties totaling a record $6.4 billion. For a comparison, in 2019, 14 companies paid a (then) record $2.9 billion to resolve FCPA cases.Are you exposed?
2020 Top 10 Articles on Fraud, Compliance, and Risk Management
Happy New Year, and thank you to the more than 100,000 people that visited Board and Fraud in 2020! With everything that happened last year, fraud, compliance, and risk management have arguably become more important than ever.
IIA Philadelphia and Baker Tilly’s Fraud & Ethics Symposium is Postponed! Stay tuned for the new date.
This one-day fraud symposium, sponsored by Baker Tilly's Global Forensic, Compliance and Integrity Services, and Solutions Practice Group and hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors, Philadelphia Chapter, will include topics such as:•Culture•Current trends in white-collar crime•Tone is the middle•Policy management•Case study on a local fraudDiscover who will be speaking and register for the event!
Fraud Tip Friday: Lessons From Recent FCPA Enforcement Actions
The United States government’s fiscal year ended on September 30, 2019. Just as in the business world, where many companies try and clear out any unexecuted deals or open contracts, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cleared out three outstanding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions. The three enforcement actions involved Quad/Graphics Inc., a Wisconsin-based digital and print marketing provider, and its Peruvian subsidiary, Quad/Graphics Peru S.A.; Barclays PLC; and a Canadian clean fuel company Westport Fuels Systems, Inc. and its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nancy Gougarty of Leesville, South Carolina. The terms of each settlement agreement provide a different lesson for compliance practitioners.
Speaking and Training on Fraud, Compliance, Ethics, and More...
Welcome to my site. I have spoken and been the keynote speaker for many conferences, including the ABA, ACC, ACFE, IIA, and IMA to name a few. I have designed customized training for the board, senior leadership, legal, compliance, internal audit, and others for some of the world's largest organizations.
Slush Funds and the Juniper Networks FCPA Settlement
e-Guide for Chief Compliance Officers
This e-book is intended as a guide for Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs) and those responsible for developing and implementing compliance policies and procedures for an organization. Compliance, when done properly and embraced fully, should be seen as a necessary business process. It is our vision that companies have more than a best-in-class compliance program going forward. The time is now for companies to take the next step up to make compliance a part of the business process of the organization. This would not only allow companies to meet the Department of Justice’s requirement that compliance programs be more fully operationalized, but it is our firm belief that a more effective compliance program will make the company’s internal controls operate more efficiently and enable it to operate more profitably. With the increased efficiencies for compliance offered by data analytics and AI, a robust compliance program can demonstrate internal commercial inefficiencies which can be remediated for greater return from assets.
PHorensically Speaking Podcast Feed is Live!
With the help from a true friend, Tom Fox, I am entering the world of Podcasting. I will be developing at least three Podcasts per
Baker Tilly Poll Shows GDPR Compliance and Privacy Governance Still a Challenge for Most Organizations
Investigation Roundtable on January 23, 2019, in Center City Philadelphia - Register Today! CPE/CLE
Investigation Roundtable on January 23, 2019, in Center City Philadelphia
Board Member Composition: Participants, Passengers, and Prisoners?
As the organization's ultimate decision-making body, the board of directors plays two critical roles: overseeing management on behalf of shareholders and other constituencies; and advising management, albeit with limited involvement in everyday company operations - nose in, hands off! The board should not attempt to run the organization's operations; it should oversee how management runs the company. I am amazed at how many members are disengaged, which reminded me that one of the traits of an effective leader, or Pilot, is being a good team builder. But how can you build a good team if you don't understand the players? I'm not speaking about understanding their skills; I am speaking about understanding their level of engagement. That is an amorphous concept most ignore.
Corporate Governance - Commonsense Principles 2.0
Corporate governance is the collection of systems and processes that an organization has in place to prevent or dissuade potentially self-interested persons from engaging in activities detrimental to the welfare of shareholders and stakeholders and helps to promote better overall decision making.
Compliance Thought Leaders You Should Be Following
Compiling a list of thought leaders in ethics and compliance is fun, but so challenging. There are simply too many thoughtful people in this field — which is itself enormous and wide-ranging — to call out everyone worth following. So below is a small slice of the thinkers in corporate ethics and compliance that I try to follow.
How Tight is Your Grip on Cash?
News Release: Baker Tilly Strengthens Growing Forensic Litigation Valuation Services Practice with Addition of Industry Leader Jonathan T. Marks
FCPA Settlement - Petrobras Board Involved
Perfect Place Syndrome and the 10-80-10 Rule to Ethics
At some point it appears there was a human behavior theory that was possibly applied to fraud risk management and the 10-80-10 Rule to Ethics was born.This theory is based on the assumption that 10 percent of the people are ethical all of the time, 80 percent could behave unethically depending on the situation or the pressure(s) being applied, and 10 percent have no or a severely broken moral compass and will pounce on opportunities to commit fraud.
Putting the Freud in Fraud - Part Two
While we can't get into the mind of the white collar criminal, we can take a closer look at high-profile individuals who have perpetrated massive fraud at corporations and instances of fraud identified in practice, as well as some research, to help is identify a pattern of similar behavioral elements common to white-collar crooks and cultural elements common to their environments.
Enterprise Risk Management - A Practical Plan
Many companies have an idea, albeit vague, about ERM or enterprise risk management. But few have made real progress in planning or actual implementation. What is the holdup? A practical five-step approach can help companies get their arms around ERM ... and begin to realize the benefits of integrated risk management, including escalating the right risks to the right people in a timely manner, and as a result, drive meaningful conversations with leaders to inform decision-making.