This article appeared in Business Crimes Bulletin, an ALM publication covering financial and white-collar crime. For Corporate Counsel, Litigators, Managing Partners, Defense Attorneys. Visit the website to learn more.
An effective compliance program is essential for any business, allowing the organization to identify potential vulnerabilities and to minimize risk. It is also relevant in defending against government investigations and prosecutions, criminal or civil. In fiscal year 2016, 132 organizations were sentenced (129 pleaded guilty; only three went to trial); however, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, only 2.1% of organizations seeking acceptance of responsibility credit under U.S. Sentencing Guideline § 8C2.5 had an “effective” compliance program. See U.S. Sentencing Commission Sourcebook at Tables 53, 54 (2016).
