InfoBytes Blog
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Announces Expansion of FCPA Pilot Program
On November 29, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein issued remarks announcing that the DOJ’s FCPA Pilot Program will be made permanent and expanded to provide greater incentives for more companies to voluntarily disclose potential FCPA violations. The new program will be formally incorporated into the US Attorney’s Manual. These changes will include greater potential benefits offered to companies that promptly disclose suspected FCPA violations.
Rosenstein identified three components of what will be called the “FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy.” First, companies who voluntarily disclose, fully cooperate with the DOJ’s investigation, and undertake “timely and appropriate remediation” will be entitled to a presumption that the matter will be resolved through a declination, which “may be overcome only if there are aggravating circumstances related to the nature and seriousness of the offense, or if the offender is a criminal recidivist.” Second, if the company satisfies all other requirements but there are “aggravating circumstances,” the DOJ “will recommend a 50% reduction off the low end of the Sentencing Guidelines fine range,” although “criminal recidivists may not be eligible for such credit.” And third, the policy will provide details on how the DOJ “evaluates an appropriate compliance program, which will vary depending on the size and resources of a business.”
The Pilot Program began in April 2016. It was greeted with some skepticism that the benefits of disclosure would outweigh the potential benefits, as Rosenstein noted in his remarks. Click here to view previous FCPA Scorecard coverage of the Pilot Program.