United States: White Collar Crime, Anti-Corruption & Fraud

As tariffs climb and global trade becomes more complex, a growing number of importers are testing the limits, or outright breaking the law, to reduce or avoid duty payments and other compliance costs. U.S. enforcement agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), have made it clear that customs fraud will not be tolerated and is a top enforcement priority.

On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an Advisory urging financial institutions to step up their detection and reporting of suspicious transactions tied to Medicare, Medicaid, and other healthcare benefit program fraud schemes.

Earlier this month, Virginia (HB 665), Kentucky (SB 189) and Wisconsin (Act 226) enacted new laws regulating virtual currency kiosks, collectively imposing licensing, disclosure, transaction-limit...

A new decision from a Mississippi federal court highlights how subtle limitations in policy wording may restrict the types of fraudulent transactions covered by a social engineering insuring agreement.

Import fraud (also referred to as “customs fraud”), which has fallen under the spotlight of the Department of Justice, is any attempt to evade duties, taxes, or trade regulations.

On April 27, 2026, Boise Cascade Company pleaded guilty and was sentenced for a felony violation of the Lacey Act tied to a long-running scheme to import Chinese plywood into the United States in evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties.

The Ninth Circuit recently reversed in part dismissal in a putative securities fraud class action alleging that a toy manufacturer and two of its officers misrepresented the status of its inventory management, distribution capabilities, and IT system use.

This comprehensive sanctions update examines recent enforcement actions by the US, UK, and EU targeting networks involved in scam operations, Iranian weapons procurement, opioid trafficking, and Russian sanctions evasion. The analysis covers new trade restrictions, end-use controls, and countermeasures affecting global compliance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions.

The EU adopts its 20th sanctions package against Russia, introducing sweeping measures across energy, finance, trade, and military sectors while targeting shadow fleet operations and crypto-asset service providers.