[Just when you think 2020 can’t get any more strange, there were no SEC FCPA enforcement actions during the final days of September. Why is this strange? Because as highlighted in this prior post, approximately 15% of SEC FCPA enforcement actions in recent years have occurred during the last week of September. This was the first year since 2014 that there was not an SEC FCPA enforcement action in the final days prior to the SEC’s fiscal year ending on September 30th. COVID-19 related? Perhaps, but through three quarters thus far in 2020 FCPA enforcement has been generally consistent with prior years numbers].
Prior posts here and here highlighted the DOJ’s recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement action against Sargeant Marine (SMI) in connection with bribery schemes in Brazil, Venezuela, and Ecuador.
This post highlights the related individual actions against seven individuals (five individuals for FCPA offenses and two alleged foreign officials for money laundering). What is interesting is that there were no individual charges in connection with the Ecuador conduct alleged in the SMI enforcement action and that the individual action began in September 2017 – a full three years prior to the SMI enforcement action.
