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White House Proposes To Rescind Cuba's Designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism
On April 14, President Obama submitted to Congress a report and certifications signaling the Administration’s intent to rescind Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, according to a statement by the White House Press Secretary. The decision to rescind Cuba’s designation, which has been in effect since 1982, was based on a recommendation from the Secretary of State, resulting from the Department of State undertaking a comprehensive review of Cuba’s record. As statutorily required for a country’s designation to be rescinded, the President must submit a report to Congress at least 45 days before the proposed rescission would be effective and certifying that (i) Cuba has not provided any support for international terrorism during the preceding 6-month period; and (ii) the Cuban government has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future. The White House’s announcement follows recent policy changes by the Administration aimed at normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations.
Preliminary Framework Agreed Upon to Reduce Iran's Nuclear Program
On April 2, the United States, along with the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China, and the EU (the “P5+1”), agreed with Iran on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”). The JCPOA is a preliminary framework to reduce Iran’s nuclear program, and details key parameters to provide the foundation upon which a final JCPOA is intended to be agreed by June 30, 2015. The framework includes five key components: (i) Enrichment, (ii) Inspections and Transparency, (iii) Reactors and Reprocessing, (iv) Sanctions Relief, and (v) Phasing. In particular, the sanctions relief will not be immediate and, instead, linked to verifiable measures Iran takes with respect to its commitments under the JCPOA. In addition, sanctions relief is specific to a suspension of nuclear-related sanctions. Importantly, the structure of such sanctions will remain in place, allowing for a “snap-back” of sanctions in the event of significant non-performance. U.S. sanctions with respect to terrorism, human rights abuses and ballistic missiles will remain in place against Iran.
CFPB OIG Report on Agency's Diversity and Inclusion Efforts Calls for Enhancement
On March 4, the CFPB Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report on its audit of the CFPB’s diversity and inclusion efforts, which was completed at Congress’s request. The report outlines its findings, noting that while the Bureau has worked to create a diverse and inclusive environment, there are four main areas where its efforts could be improved: (i) currently, diversity and inclusion training is not mandatory for employees, senior managers, and supervisors; (ii) ongoing issues exist in connection with data quality in the CFPB’s tracking of potential diversity and inclusion concerns; (iii) the diversity and inclusion strategic plan should incorporate opportunities “to strengthen supervisors’ and senior managers’ accountability for implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives and human resources-related policies;” and (iv) an official succession planning process should be implemented to ensure that candidates applying for senior management positions are diverse. The OIG made several recommendations that are intended to further enhance the Bureau’s “monitoring and promotion of diversity and inclusion,” and the CFPB has since approved new standard operating procedures to address these recommendations.
OFAC Announces New Ukraine-Related Designations, Includes Russian National Bank
On March 11, OFAC updated its Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) list comprising of individuals and entities including a Russian national bank, Russian National Commercial Bank. The SDN list identifies persons and entities with which U.S. citizens and permanent residents are prohibited from doing business and whose assets or interests in assets that come within U.S. jurisdiction must be frozen.
White House Issues Executive Order Targeting Venezuela
On March 8, President Obama signed an executive order imposing sanctions on Venezuela in response to the country’s ongoing human rights violations and abuses in anti-governmental protests. Specifically, the Order (i) designates seven Venezuelan government officials as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs), (ii) provides authorization for the designation of additional parties as SDNs who are determined to be engaged in specified activities, and (iii) suspends entry into the United States of persons designated under the Order. While the Order stems from defending human rights and democratic governance, according to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, the Order “will be used to protect the U.S. financial system from the illicit financial flows from public corruption in Venezuela.”
Congressman Introduces Legislation to Reform CFPB
On March 4, U.S. House Representative Randy Neugebauer introduced H.R. 1266, a bill to reform the CFPB’s leadership structure to replace its single director with a five-member commission appointed by the President. Representative Neugebauer serves at the Chairman of the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee.
International Bank to Pay $30 Million to Resolve Overdraft Fee Allegations
On March 2, an international bank agreed to pay $30 million to settle allegations that it changed the order in which customers’ debit transactions cleared in order to generate additional overdraft fees. According to the plaintiffs, the bank engaged in a practice known as “high-to-low” posting, whereby a bank orders transactions from the largest to the smallest dollar amount before posting them to the customer’s account. The bank also charged a $35 fee for each overdraft, regardless of the amount of the transaction. The plaintiffs allege that, when combined, these practices increased the number of overdraft fees paid by some customers because processing the largest charges first depleted their funds more quickly and increased the total number of transactions that failed to clear. The bank appropriately defended its practices, contending, among other things, that the claims were preempted by the National Bank Act and barred by the Uniform Commercial Code, and that the deposit agreement provided for discretion to order transactions. The settlement is scheduled to face a fairness hearing and final approval by the court.
SEC Settles with Global Manufacturer over FCPA Violations
On February 24, the SEC announced charges against a global manufacturer for alleged violations of the FCPA involving bribes paid by its African subsidiaries in order to make sales in Kenya and Angola. Over the course of a four-year period, the manufacturer allegedly failed to detect more than $3.2 million in bribes paid in cash to employees of private companies, government-owned entities, and other local authorities, including police or city council officials. According to the SEC Order, the manufacturer maintained “inadequate FCPA compliance controls,” allowing improper payments to be recorded as legitimate business expenses, which violated the books, records, and internal control provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under the terms of the settlement, the manufacturer will pay over $16 million to settle the SEC’s allegations and report its FCPA remediation efforts to the SEC for three years.
FinCEN Fines Atlantic City Casino $10 Million for AML Deficiencies
Earlier this month, an Atlantic City-based casino was fined $10 million for violating the BSA – more specifically, for failing to (i) create and implement an adequate anti-money laundering program; (ii) establish an effective system of internal controls; and (iii) adequately file currency transaction reports or maintain other required records. Many of the violations that occurred in 2010 through 2012 were previously identified by regulators and brought to the attention of the casino. The federal government will not collect the $10 million civil penalty, but will receive an unsecured claim in the casino’s bankruptcy, pending approval from the bankruptcy judge.
DOJ Settles False Claims Act Allegations Against Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
On February 11, the DOJ announced a $7.9 million settlement with a Delaware-based pharmaceutical manufacturer for allegedly violating the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme with a pharmacy benefits manager corporation. The pharmaceutical manufacturer denies the DOJ’s allegations that it paid $40 million to a pharmacy benefits manager corporation in exchange for “sole and exclusive” recommendation of a certain drug. According to the two whistleblowers, both former employees for the accused pharmaceutical manufacturer, the accused manufacturer paid the pharmacy benefits manager “through price concessions on [other] drugs.” Under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, the two former employees will receive a combined payment of $1,422,000.