The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint seeking to seize a Beverly Hills mansion allegedly purchased and renovated with around $30 million in proceeds from a defence procurement fraud, foreign bribery and money laundering scheme. The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California on 22 April 2026, alleges that a Virginia-based defence contractor and others obtained more than $700 million from the US Departmen

An Arkansas man’s guilty plea to insider trading reinforces the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) continued focus on market abuse arising from informal personal relationships and misuse of confidential corporate information. The case illustrates how non-traditional information channels, including friendships with senior executives, remain a key enforcement priority for regulators and prosecutors. Douglas Dalton admitted securities fraud after trading on material nonpublic in

FinCEN’s proposed whistleblower rule is a meaningful regulatory development rather than a routine press announcement. Although the statutory framework has been in place since the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2020 and the 2022 improvement legislation, the new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is the step that begins to turn those powers into a functioning award and protection regime with defined procedures, eligibility rules and adjudication mechanics. The proposal was published in t

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Dinosaur Merchant Bank Limited (DMBL) £338,000 for significant failures in its market abuse surveillance systems within its contracts for difference (CFD) business. The enforcement action underscores regulatory expectations that firms operating in high risk trading environments must maintain robust and effective monitoring frameworks. The failings arose following the introduction of a new order management system in June 2024, wh

The US Department of Justice has used the Balt SAS case to send a dual message on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement. Companies that voluntarily self-disclose, cooperate fully and remediate quickly may secure a declination, but individuals tied to the same conduct remain firmly in prosecutors’ sights. That combination makes this a notable development for healthcare, life sciences and other internationally exposed sectors. Balt SAS, a France-headquartered medical device

The conviction of former Corsa Coal Corporation vice president Charles Hunter Hobson marks a significant Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement outcome for the Department of Justice (DoJ), reinforcing the risks facing senior executives engaged in overseas sales involving state-linked counterparties. The case centred on nearly $140 million in coal supply contracts with Egypt’s Al Nasr Company for Coke and Chemicals, a state-owned and state-controlled enterprise, and

For decades, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, and sanctions compliance have been treated as distinct disciplines. Each has its own regulators, specialists, and compliance programmes, all designed to address specific manifestations of financial crime. Yet in practice, these systems respond to the same underlying pathology: the misuse of power and opacity to extract value from the state. As the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sharpens its focus on beneficial ownership an

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has launched a dedicated whistleblower webpage to confidentially receive tips relating to fraud, money laundering and sanctions violations. The move strengthens the United States Department of the Treasury’s intelligence-led enforcement framework and signals a continued focus on leveraging insider information to combat financial crime. FinCEN’s Office of the Whistleblower will accept information concerning violations and consp

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined two individuals a combined £108,731 for insider dealing linked to shares in Bidstack Group Plc, reinforcing its commitment to tackling market abuse and protecting market integrity. Dipesh Kerai has been fined £52,731 and Bhavesh Hirani £56,000 following enforcement action relating to unlawful trading in December 2021. At the time, Mr Hirani was interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Bidstack, an advertising technology company

A former TD Bank employee has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and facilitating the laundering of more than 5.5 million dollars to Colombia, in a case that starkly illustrates the continuing vulnerability of banks to insider-enabled financial crime. On 30 January 2026, the US Department of Justice announced that Leonardo Ayala, a 25-year-old from Homestead, Florida, admitted to exploiting his role at TD Bank to support a cross-border money laundering scheme linked to drug t

A senior official at the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges after admitting to accepting illicit gratuities from a government contractor and making false statements to law enforcement. The case highlights persistent vulnerabilities in public sector contracting oversight, particularly in the management of overseas development funds. On 30 January 2026, the US Department of Justice announced that Mathieu Z

A former General Services Administration (GSA) contracting officer’s representative has pleaded guilty to a bribery conspiracy, reinforcing longstanding concerns around corruption risks in public procurement and government contracting. The case underscores how abuse of authority within procurement functions continues to present significant integrity and financial crime risks, despite established controls and oversight frameworks. On 29 January 2026, Lennie Lamont Miller, aged