Stephen Bell

DOJ Announces Sweeping Voluntary Corporate Self-Disclosure Policy

April 12, 2023April 12, 2023North Carolina White Collar Crime

In late February, the United States Attorneys for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York announced a new “Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy” (VSD Policy), effective immediately, that applies to all United States Attorney’s Offices (USAOs). A result of the “Monaco Memo” – a September 15, 2022 memorandum titled “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies […]

Congress Dramatically Expands Whistleblower Eligibility to Include Auditors & Compliance Professionals to Combat Kleptocratic Money Laundering in Global Financial System, With New Sweeping Financial Incentives

January 13, 2023January 11, 2023North Carolina White Collar Crime

On December 23, 2022, Congress included the Anti-Money Laundering Whistleblower Improvement Act as part of the Omnibus Budget President Biden has now signed into law. The Act includes drastic new measures to expand enforcement against kleptocratic money launderers operating in the United States financial system and abroad, chiefly by expanding the incentives for whistleblowers with […]

Behind the scenes of how Trump’s Truth Social was born, and how it could fall apart

October 11, 2022November 7, 2022North Carolina Criminal Law White Collar Crime

Former President Donald Trump and Miami financier Patrick Orlando celebrate their companies’ merger to create Truth Social at Mar-a-Lago. Courtesy of William Wilkerson and attorneys. Former President Donald Trump’s quest to establish a Florida-based social media platform as a conservative alternative to Twitter will face a critical vote on Monday when investors decide whether to […]

DOJ Announces Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies

September 30, 2022November 7, 2022North Carolina Criminal Law White Collar Crime

Earlier this month, DOJ announced additional revisions to the Department’s existing policies and practices governing corporate criminal enforcement. Each of these revisions will soon find its way into DOJ’s Justice Manual. Here are the most important takeaways: Guidance on Individual Accountability. DOJ’s top priority in prosecuting corporate criminal matters is to deter future bad acts […]

DOJ Announces Early Targets of Task Force KleptoCapture, Elite Anti-Money Laundering Initiative Established to Halt Russian Oligarchs and their Co-Conspirators in the International “Invisible Economy”

July 15, 2022November 7, 2022North Carolina Criminal Law White Collar Crime

In late May, a court in the Pacific island nation of Fiji upheld on appeal the detention of the 348-foot Amadea, reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, whose wealth largely derives from his 76% stake in Russia’s biggest gold producer, Polyus. The United States Treasury sanctioned Kerimov in 2018 for alleged money laundering related to the purchase of French […]

Evolving DOJ Enforcement Trends: Considerations for White Collar Practitioners and Their Clients

May 30, 2022November 7, 2022North Carolina Criminal Law White Collar Crime

In September 2020, Patrick Mincey and I presented on the changes and trends we expected to see in SEC and DOJ enforcement of white-collar cases. We cautioned our clients that the government was going to shift its focus and efforts towards C-suite executives, corporate gatekeepers and inadequate or poorly-designed corporate compliance programs. While our clients’ investigative matters and reported […]