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

In the fifteen years since the Bribery Act 2010 entered into force across the UK, corporate-compliance frameworks have adjusted dramatically. Yet despite the zero-tolerance rhetoric and the sophisticated anti-bribery, corruption and facilitation payment programmes now ubiquitous in large firms, the phenomenon of low-value facilitation payments remains surprisingly resilient in global finance. This persistence reveals more than just enforcement gaps: it exposes a deeper cultur

An indictment unsealed in Washington DC on 26 January 2026 has charged a former NATO procurement official and a Turkish defence contractor with operating a long running bribery scheme linked to US military and NATO construction contracts. The case underscores persistent corruption risks in defence procurement and the vulnerabilities created when insider access intersects with high value international contracts. According to the US Department of Justice, Bahadir Hatipoglu, a T

A former US biotech chief executive has been sentenced to prison after misleading investors about a purported breakthrough drug and selling his own shares at inflated prices. On 26 January 2026, Nader Pourhassan, the former Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn, received a 30 month prison sentence for securities fraud, wire fraud and insider trading, marking another high profile enforcement action against corporate executives who abuse market trust. Pourhassan, aged 62, was conv

The Upper Tribunal has upheld the Financial Conduct Authority’s decision to ban Darren Antony Reynolds from working in financial services and to fine him £2,037,892, marking one of the most serious enforcement outcomes arising from the British Steel Pension Scheme cases. The ruling, first published on 19 January 2026, represents a decisive endorsement of the FCA’s findings on dishonesty, lack of integrity and deliberate misconduct in pension transfer advice. The Tribunal agre

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined oil and gas consultant Russel Gerrity £309,843 for insider dealing after he used confidential drilling information to generate personal trading profits of £128,765. The enforcement action highlights the FCA’s continued focus on market abuse and the critical role of surveillance and industry reporting in detecting misconduct. Between October 2018 and January 2022, Mr Gerrity exploited inside information obtained through his consu

The financial services industry has long relied on employees to act as a final line of defence against misconduct. From exposing...

The assumption that bribery and corruption are more prevalent in developing nations has been a longstanding tenet of both media...