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Category Archives: White Collar

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The SBF Superseder: A Second Bite at the Scienter Apple

Following the collapse of FTX and the civil and criminal enforcement actions arising from FTX’s and its founder’s alleged misconduct, partners Bill Komaroff and Seetha Ramachandran offer their reactions to the superseding indictment of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) obtained on March 27, 2023 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). Read the … Continue Reading

Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2023

Everything, everywhere, all at once, as a descriptor, captures the litigation and regulatory risks for the asset management industry in 2023. Every corner of the market faces greater risks than at any time since 2008. After years of breakneck growth fueled by low interest rates and a largely laissez faire regulatory regime, significant change is … Continue Reading

Economic Sanctions and Asset Seizures: An Important Focus for the Biden Administration

Sanctions continue to be a dynamic area of regulation and enforcement. In its first year, the Biden Administration has already undertaken a number of different sanctions initiatives. The three examples below highlight the range of strategies employed and their potential ramifications for private investment funds.… Continue Reading

DOJ Task Force KleptoCapture to Target Russian Oligarchs

Over the past week, the U.S., UK, and EU imposed sweeping sanctions rolled out by the US, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, outlined here. Also last week, the Department of Justice announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce these sanctions and seize assets belonging to sanctioned individuals and other criminal actors. … Continue Reading

Regulatory Shake-Out on Digital Assets: An Industry Waits for Additional Guidance

A threshold question in many cryptocurrency inquiries is whether the digital assets qualify as securities under the federal securities laws. If so, then they are subject to a full suite of federal securities regulations. If not, they still may be subject to AML and other DOJ regulations regarding currencies, as well as the Commodity Futures … Continue Reading

Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2022

Last year, we wrote, “The regulatory and litigation risks for private funds are greater than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008.” That statement is even more true today. The Wall Street Journal recently published separate front-page stories on an SEC initiative to oversee large private companies and the explosive growth of the private … Continue Reading

U.S. Federal Regulators Turn Up the Heat on Cryptocurrency Trading Platforms

With new types of digital assets and related business on the rise, federal authorities have been busy investigating.  Recently, the SEC, FinCEN and the CFTC have imposed some notable settlements involving cryptocurrency trading platforms for allegedly operating without appropriate approvals from financial regulatory authorities.  This may be the start of the next wave of government … Continue Reading

MNPI Update – SEC Pursues “Shadow Trading” Insider Trading Case

The SEC recently charged a former employee of a biopharmaceutical company with insider trading in advance of an acquisition but with a unique twist: Trading the securities of a company unrelated to the merger. The employee, Matthew Panuwat, did not trade his own company’s or the acquiring company’s securities, but instead purchased stock options for … Continue Reading

Bloomberg Law: White Collar Crime Investigation & the Biden Administration

As part of an ongoing series of articles that focus on the top regulatory and litigation risks for private funds in 2021, William C. Komaroff, Seetha Ramachandran and Joseph Hartunian write for Bloomberg Law on the return to civil and criminal collaboration in white collar investigations under the Biden Administration. Read the full article here.… Continue Reading

Return to Civil and Criminal Collaboration in White Collar under Biden Administration

Under the Biden Administration, we expect the Department of Justice to reinvigorate the policies aimed at increasing coordination between the criminal and civil divisions.  In a 2015 Memorandum – the “Yates Memo” – former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates pushed for “early and regular communication” between civil and criminal division attorneys in their pursuit of … Continue Reading

Second Circuit Upholds Insider Trading Conviction, Finding Sufficient Confidentiality Duty and Personal Benefit

Last week, the Second Circuit upheld a criminal conviction for insider trading, holding that signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with a target company created a sufficient duty of trust and confidence to support a conviction. The defendant in United States v. Chow, an executive at a foreign private equity firm, was convicted for tipping a … Continue Reading

FinCEN’s $390 Million case against Capital One – And What it Means for AML Enforcement

As the financial services industry prepares for expanded criminal and civil enforcement under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) with the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, FinCEN’s recent case against Capital One shows how FinCEN’s approach to AML enforcement is evolving.… Continue Reading

Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2021

The regulatory and litigation risks for private funds are greater than at any time since the financial crisis in 2008. Just a few examples prove the point: the pandemic (which caused extraordinary volatility in revenues and valuations for most asset categories); a new administration in Washington D.C. (with a more muscular regulatory agenda); continued proliferation … Continue Reading

2020 Proskauer Annual Review and Outlook for Hedge Funds, Private Equity Funds and Other Funds

Proskauer’s Private Investment Funds Group released its 2020 Annual Review. The yearly report provides a summary of some of the significant changes and developments that occurred in the past year in the private equity and hedge fund spaces, as well as certain recommended practices that investment advisers should consider when preparing for 2021. Read the … Continue Reading

An Overview of OFAC’s Ongoing Guidance: Chinese Military Companies Trading Ban

Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued further guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and General Licenses that clarify the terms of the Order and its Chinese Military Sanctions Program. To a large degree, OFAC’s guidance confirms that the agency will interpret … Continue Reading

FinCEN Explains What Guides Its Enforcement Decisions

On August 18, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which is the primary regulator and administrator of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), issued a statement on enforcement of the BSA. The requirements of the BSA typically apply to financial institutions, but in certain circumstances the Act applies to nonfinancial businesses and individuals.… Continue Reading

Rear View Mirror: Criminal Exposure for Companies that Received PPP Loans Under the CARES Act

On April 28, 2020, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced that companies that received loans of more than $2 million through the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) of the CARES Act will be closely scrutinized. Mr. Mnuchin noted that the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) would audit the business to determine whether the certifications submitted in connection with the … Continue Reading

Top Ten Regulatory and Litigation Risks for Private Funds in 2020

The private fund industry is more in the public eye than ever before.  Private capital and private markets have experienced massive growth over the last two decades, substantially outpacing the growth of public equity. We have witnessed that trend continue during the past year, and have worked with our clients to navigate the greater uncertainty … Continue Reading

To Disclose or Not to Disclose: Navigating the Complex Relationship Between Voluntary Self-Disclosure of Sanctions Violations and Enforcement Response

In the ever-evolving and complex world of economic sanctions, voluntary self-disclosure is frequently the best long-term strategy for any company that discovers a violation of a sanctions regime. The more difficult task is to assess the costs and benefits of self-disclosure in cases where the conduct falls into a gray area. We explain the complex … Continue Reading

SEC Enforcement Co-Director Gives Guidance for Wells Process, Part 2

On June 4, we posted a summary of SEC Enforcement Co-Director Steven Peikin observations during his recent keynote address at the New York City Bar Association’s 7th Annual White Collar Crime Institute.  Co-Director Peikin imparted a few suggested “do’s and don’ts” for effective communication with the SEC during the Wells process.  Although Co-Director Peikin’s suggestions should serve as helpful … Continue Reading
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