By: Sara Kropf The federal case against former Massey CEO Donald Blankenship has taken a rather unexpected turn—a sweeping gag and sealing order that effectively prevents anyone from following the case. I was hoping to cover this case in some detail by analyzing the...
By: Sara Kropf As a general rule, the government does not indict CEOs of big companies. No one really wants to say that out loud—at least on the government’s side of the aisle—but it’s true. It is usually difficult for the government to prove a link between a CEO...
By: Sara Kropf At the end of an internal investigation, outside counsel frequently prepares a written report. That written report may be for the Board of Directors only or it may be passed along to the Department of Justice. In the report, the company has every...
By: Sara Kropf A French citizen appeared in a Manhattan federal court on March 10, pleading guilty to obstructing a government investigation into bribes paid to secure mining rights in Guinea. Mr. Frédéric Cilins, a 51-year-old businessman, had been arrested during an...
By: Sara Kropf On May 20, 2013, Judge Kurt Engelhardt of the Eastern District of Louisiana dismissed the obstruction charge in the indictment against David Rainey, a former vice president at BP involved in the Deepwater Horizon spill. The 44-page decision dismissed...
By: Sara Kropf The number of former executives of a French power and engineering company indicted for FCPA violations is up to three. William Pomponi and Frederic Pierucci recently joined David Rothschild as defendants based on their supposed involvement in a scheme...