Alstom Pleads Guilty to FCPA Violations; Pays Record Fine

Alstom SA France

On December 22, 2014, Alstom S.A. (Alstom), a French power and transportation company, and various subsidiaries pleaded guilty to a range of FCPA violations and agreed to pay a $772 million criminal fine, the largest on record for an FCPA case.  According to DOJ officials, the bribery scheme "spanned many years, occurred in countries around the globe and in several business lines."  The size of the fine was also no doubt influenced by DOJ's perception that Alstom was insufficiently cooperative, at least until several of its executives were indicted.