Category Archives: Graft and Corruption
Texas Supreme Court to Weigh In on Shell Defamation Suit
The Texas Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Shell Oil Co.’s pending defamation case. Robert Writt, a former Shell employee, sued the company for defamation after Shell submitted a report to the Department of Justice about his alleged involvement in committing numerous violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA). It’s an interesting case — […]
SEC Whistleblower Office Reaches Three-Year Anniversary
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Whistleblower has only been open since August 2011, yet it has already made a pretty big name for itself in protecting the rights of whistleblowers and awarding them for their contributions. Within those three years, many whistleblowers have come away with large monetary awards, which […]
Agencies Still Falling Short of Federal Whistleblower Protection Standards
While there are more laws in place than ever before regarding the fair treatment and protection of whistleblowers in the United States, there are still some government agencies that are falling short of complying with the rules outlined in the 2012 Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act. The most common compliance issues still at issue include the […]
Costs for FCPA Investigations Can Be Huge, Making Insurance Coverage Important
Investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) can quickly become extremely costly. In fact, Walmart recently spent more than $439 million within a two-year span on these types of investigations alone. While this is a rather extreme example, companies that have any sort of internal operations should at least be familiar with how they […]
D.C. Circuit Court Expands Privilege in Internal Corporate Investigations
There are numerous federal regulations requiring investigations into possible fraud, related to both mandatory disclosure and simply performing some fact gathering while seeking legal advice. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently ruled in In re Kellogg Brown & Root that investigations into possible fraud associated with these regulations are privileged. In […]
13 Fired After Department of Watershed Management Internal Investigation
The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management recently conducted an internal investigation after reports of theft and mismanagement arose from within the organization. Soon afterward, the department fired 13 unnamed employees, although the Atlanta mayor’s spokeswoman declined to comment on whether they were fired as a direct result of the investigation’s findings. The agency has been […]
DynCorp Targeted with $150 Million Fraud Claim for Northrop Subcontract
Two employees have filed a lawsuit against DynCorp International Inc., a private military contractor that specializes in aviation facilities, training and equipment. According to the complaint, the employees allege that the company illegally overcharged for labor when it subcontracted its services to Northrop Grumman Corp. as part of a U.S. Army contract in Afghanistan. If […]
What Does Delaware’s Wal-Mart Decision Mean for Attorney-Client Privilege and Internal Investigations?
The Delaware Supreme Court recently came to a decision in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Indiana Electrical Workers Pension Trust Fund IBEW to uphold the order given by the Delaware Court of Chancery to require Wal-Mart to give the plaintiff (a shareholder) documents relating to the company’s internal investigation of allegations made by the plaintiff, including […]
Texas Medicaid Fraud Recovery Passes $400 Million Thanks to Whistleblowers
Operated jointly by federal and state agencies, Medicaid is one of the largest and most complex governmental undertakings in the United States. Not surprisingly, it also provides a breeding ground for fraud, primarily from unscrupulous medical facilities and providers who overbill, double-bill, bill for services never rendered and perform all manner of other shenanigans in […]
