Here are a few stories and items that caught my eye recently, but I have not had time to build-out to a full post:
Role of Federal Sentencing Guidelines in FCPA Cases from the WrageBlog
Given the tremendous fines imposed upon Siemens AG and Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (“KBR”) in the past 10 months, many have asked how the DOJ calculates criminal fines in FCPA cases and how statutory penalties and the United States Sentencing Guidelines (“U.S.S.G.”) interact in that calculation.
Behind the Numbers: The Anatomy of a Ponzi Scheme from The Fraud Guy
Many articles have been out in the press since Ponzi schemes have begun unraveling over the course of the last year which either describe Ponzi schemes inaccurately or really don’t help the public understand how the schemes actually work and what happens with the money. This article (publication pending), “The Anatomy of a Ponzi Scheme” may help people understand how Ponzi schemes and their orchestrators work.
Complying With Mass. Data Security Regs Proves Costly from Melissa Klein Aguilar for Compliance Week
For those organizations already tackling the task of complying with a new Massachusetts data security regulations that are currently slated to take effect March 1, compliance is proving costly, a recent survey shows. . . A joint survey of more than 200 members of the International Association of Privacy Professionals conducted by the IAPP and the law firm Goodwin Procter found that 33 percent of the organizations polled have already spent more than $50,000 on complying with the rules.
Massachusetts Holds Public Hearing on Information Security Regulations — Regulators Contemplating Additional Revisions in Final Rulemaking from Security, Privacy and The Law
The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulations (OCABR) held a public hearing in connection with its promulgation of revisions to the Commonwealth’s information privacy regulations, 201 CMR 17.00. The standing-room-only crowd endured a modest, unventilated conference room in the Transportation Building to make comments on the stringent regulations. OCABR Undersecretary Barbara Anthony led the meeting with OCABR Deputy General Counsel Jason Egan and Assistant Attorney General Diane Lawton. The principal author of the original regulations, OCABR General Counsel David A. Murray, could also be seen in the audience.
Due Diligence Failure Leads to SEC Enforcement Action? from Mark J. Astarita of SECLaw.com
The SEC has charged Detroit-area stock broker Frank Bluestein with fraud, alleging that he lured elderly investors into a $250 million Ponzi scheme.
Lehman Bankruptcy Court Declares “Bankruptcy Default” Under Swap Agreement To Be Unenforceable from Goodwin Procter
On September 17, in one such closely watched matter, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James Peck ordered Metavante Corporation (“Metavante”), a counterparty to Lehman Brothers Special Financing (“LBSF”) in an interest rate swap transaction in which Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (“LBHI”) is the credit support provider, to perform its obligations to pay quarterly fixed amounts owing under the transaction, notwithstanding the bankruptcies of LBSF and its parent. Judge Peck concluded that Metavante could not rely solely on the filing of the Lehman bankruptcy cases to refuse to make payment to Lehman while also not terminating the agreement.
Some of these have been in my personal Twitter feed (@dougcornelius) or my Posterous (Compliance Building’s Posterous).