Lawyer in Wig Who Peddled Secret U.S. Suit to Plead Guilty

A Washington lawyer from a prominent firm will plead guilty after being charged with trying to sell copies of two secret lawsuits involving companies that were under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, his lawyer said.

Jeffrey Wertkin, who worked for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, was arrested in January in the lobby of a hotel in Cupertino, California, where he allegedly showed up wearing a wig to collect $310,000 for one of the lawsuits and was met by an FBI agent. He took the suits with him when he left the government in 2016, according to court filings. read more »

Charles Cain Named Chief of Foreign Corrupt Practices Unit

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Charles E. Cain has been named chief of the Enforcement Division's national specialized Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit that focuses on violations of the anti-bribery provisions of the federal securities laws. read more »

Equifax says its own investigation clears execs in post-breach trade

Equifax said Friday that a special committee of its own appointing has cleared four top executives of wrongdoing in the sale of stock when the company knew about a massive data breach, but had not yet announced it. read more »

1MDB scandal back in the spotlight

Goldman Sachs is facing more scrutiny over its role in the 2015 1MDB scandal, amid ongoing accusations that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak looted more than 2.67 billion ringgit (nearly US$700 million) from the state investment fund. Both 1MDB and Najib, who formerly chaired its advisory board, have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

With probes into 1MDB progressing in Switzerland, the UK, the US and elsewhere, Singapore investigators are interviewing current and former Goldman Sachs executives who worked on bond offerings from 1MDB. read more »

AmerisourceBergen Eyes $575M FCA Deal After Criminal Plea

AmerisourceBergen Corp. said Thursday it has set aside $575 million amid a False Claims Act investigation related to impure drugs and avoidance of U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight, following the drug distributor’s recent criminal plea involving the same allegations.

In an earnings report, Amerisource disclosed that it is in “advanced settlement discussions” with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn and the main division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The company said that it has earmarked $575 million as the talks continue — more than double the $260 million that Amerisource agreed to pay when it copped to criminal wrongdoing in late September. read more »