Notwithstanding recent reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has quietly disbanded its Climate and ESG Task Force,1 and while the SEC’s new climate-related disclosure rules remain stayed,2 the SEC’s...more
Over the past year, the Department of Justice ("DOJ") has warned that it will seek stiffer sentences for offenses made significantly more dangerous by the misuse of artificial intelligence ("AI") and has asked the US...more
On September 9, 2024, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced settled charges against seven public companies for violation of the whistleblower protection rule in connection with employment, separation,...more
On August 28, 2024, FinCEN issued a long-awaited final rule meant to address illicit finance activities and national security threats in the asset management industry. The new rule imposes similar requirements on investment...more
9/17/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Exempt Reporting Advisers (ERAs) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
National Security ,
Registered Investment Advisors
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced parallel actions against an activist short seller and his firm, charging them with multiple counts of securities fraud....more
On August 14, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced yet another wave of enforcement actions related to widespread “off-channel communications,” charging an additional 26 firms with failing to maintain...more
8/29/2024
/ Electronic Communications ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Investigations ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Mobile Devices ,
Popular ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Regulation ,
Self-Reporting ,
WhatsApp
In March 2024, we published an alert regarding Deputy Attorney General (“DAG”) Lisa Monaco’s announcement that the US Department of Justice (“DOJ” or the “Department”) intended to design and implement a new whistleblower...more
8/22/2024
/ CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Crimes ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
FinCEN ,
Pilot Programs ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Reporting ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
On July 18, 2024, a New York federal judge dismissed most of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s ("SEC") claims against SolarWinds Corp. ("SolarWinds" or the "Company") and its Chief Information Security Officer...more
In April, we issued an alert discussing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and Department of Justice’s ("DOJ") expansion of insider trading to 10b5-1 plans. On June 21, 2024, a federal jury in California...more
7/3/2024
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Corporate Executives ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Insider Information ,
Insider Trading ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud
On June 27, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in SEC v. Jarkesy that when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seeks civil penalties from defendants for securities fraud, the Seventh Amendment requires it to bring the...more
7/2/2024
/ Administrative Authority ,
Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Jury Trial ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Regulation ,
Separation of Powers ,
Seventh Amendment
In February 2024, we published an alert discussing the significant benefits of prompt self-reporting and cooperation during a US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") investigation. This past week, during his keynote...more
On May 13, 2024, FinCEN and the SEC jointly proposed a new rule that would require SEC-registered investment advisers and exempt reporting advisers to maintain written customer identification programs (CIPs). The new rule...more
5/21/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Asset Management ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Broker-Dealer ,
BSA/AML ,
Comment Period ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
New Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Over the past few months, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") has issued several warnings to companies to ensure accurate disclosure of the role and risks of artificial intelligence ("AI") in their businesses....more
On April 5, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") won a jury verdict in its first "shadow trading" insider trading action. Only a few weeks before this verdict, a court denied a motion to dismiss a...more
4/16/2024
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Affirmative Defenses ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Good Faith ,
Healthcare ,
Insider Trading ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Mergers ,
Non-Public Information ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Third-Party
In the past few months, we have published several alerts concerning the increase in regulatory attention to "AI washing," or making unfounded claims regarding artificial intelligence ("AI") capabilities.1 Senior officials at...more
In February 2024, we published an alert concerning the increase in regulatory attention to "AI washing," or making unfounded claims regarding artificial intelligence ("AI") capabilities. Notably, on February 14, 2024,...more
During the American Bar Association's 39th National Institute on White Collar Crime, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco announced the launch of the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ or the Department) pilot program to...more
3/14/2024
/ American Bar Association (ABA) ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Incentives ,
Jurisdiction ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
While there are news reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") is on the verge of issuing new climate related disclosure rules for public companies, the SEC's Director of the Division of Enforcement...more
In December 2023, we published an alert concerning US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Chair Gary Gensler's warning to public companies against "AI washing" – that is, making unfounded claims regarding artificial...more
On February 13, 2024, FinCEN proposed a long-awaited rule to combat illicit finance and national security threats in the asset management industry. The new rule would impose similar requirements on investment advisers that...more
2/22/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Asset Management ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
BSA/AML ,
FinCEN ,
Investment Adviser ,
National Security ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury
On February 6, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") announced that it settled accounting fraud charges against Cloopen Group Holding Limited ("Cloopen" or the "Company"), a cloud-based communications...more
In March 2023, we published an alert concerning the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") whistleblower protection rule and how to minimize the risk of violations in connection with employee-related documents.1 Last...more
The SEC is Keeping a Watchful Eye on Companies' Claims about their AI Capabilities and Issued a Recent Warning: Don't "AI-Wash" -
In July 2023, the SEC proposed new rules that would require broker-dealers and investment...more
On October 30, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") announced that it filed charges against SolarWinds Corp. ("SolarWinds" or the "Company") and its Chief Information Security Officer ("CISO") in connection...more
11/15/2023
/ Breach Notification Rule ,
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
Information Technology ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Insurance Industry ,
Internal Controls ,
Investors ,
Material Misstatements ,
Misleading Statements ,
NIST ,
Omissions ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Software ,
Vulnerability Assessments
On October 16, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Division of Examinations ("Examination Division") announced its 2024 Examination Priorities. Registrants should ensure that policies, procedures, and...more
11/7/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investors ,
Popular ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Technology