One Chinese company and three companies based in New Jersey and New York settled charges with the U.S. related to a customs avoidance scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey announced. The companies agreed to pay fines ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 to settle violations relating to the False Claims Act, "among other statutes."

Multinational conglomerate Honeywell will pay $202.7 million to resolve anti-corruption Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations with both U.S. and Brazilian authorities, the company said in a Dec. 19 press release. The conduct subject to the investigations involved Honeywell's operations in Brazil with the state-owned Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) and an intermediary, Unaoil.

Arif Ugur, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, resident, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and two years of supervised release for scheming to illegally export defense technical data to manufacturers in Turkey in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, DOJ announced Dec. 15. The technical data related to the "fraudulent manufacturing of parts and components used by the U.S. military" -- parts the Defense Department later found to be "substandard and unsuitable for use by the military."

Amara Cherif, a citizen of Guinea, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for conspiring to traffic millions of dollars' worth of rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said Dec. 14. Two of Cherif's co-conspirators were previously sentenced to 63 months and 54 months. The defendant's trafficking involved the poaching of more than 35 rhinoceros and over 100 elephants.

Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson will extend its compliance monitoring program, implemented as part of its deal to settle charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, for another year, the company announced. The agreement with DOJ and the Securities and Exchange Commission extends the term of the independent compliance monitor established in a deferred prosecution agreement until June 2024. Ericsson last year was accused of violating the DPA (see 2110220031).

An indictment was unsealed Dec. 12 in a New York district court charging five Russian nationals and two U.S. nationals for their role in a global procurement and money laundering network for the Russian government, DOJ announced. Concurrent with the indictment, the Bureau of Industry and Security issued a 180-day temporary denial order against three of the defendants and two companies for illegally sending controlled exports to Russia as part of the Moscow-led scheme.

Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian national, was charged under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act with conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions on Russia, DOJ announced. Per the indictment unsealed Dec. 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Derkach is accused of bank fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and four counts of money laundering relating to the purchase of two California condominiums. The charges, along with forfeiture action taken on the condominiums, mark the first use of "criminal and forfeiture powers targeting the concealment of ownership by senior foreign political officials" as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, DOJ said.

DOJ unsealed an indictment on Dec. 6 charging 12 individuals in a conspiracy to "monopolize the transmigrante forwarding industry in the Los Indios, Texas, border region," it announced. The 12 are accused of conspiring to fix prices, "allocate the market for transmigrante services" and monopolize this market in violation of sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

Switzerland-based global technology firm ABB agreed to pay over $315 million to settle a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigation over the bribery of an official at South Africa's state-owned energy company, DOJ announced Dec. 2. DOJ coordinated the resolution of the case with the SEC and authorities in South Africa and Switzerland.

Marshall Islands citizens Cary Yan and Gina Zhou pleaded guilty Dec. 1 to conspiring to bribe Marshallese officials for legislation that would benefit the pair's business interests, DOJ announced. The two admitted to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and face a maximum of five years in prison.