The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has deployed its Market Integrity and Major Frauds Unit to target tariff evasion, a clear sign of the escalation of trade enforcement. The Criminal Division’s specialized unit,...more
7/23/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Customs ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Imports ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
International Harmonization ,
Investigations ,
Market Manipulation ,
Tariffs ,
White Collar Crimes
On June 16, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division (NSD) announced that it declined to charge private equity firm White Deer Management LLC (“White Deer”) and its affiliates after the company...more
6/25/2025
/ CEOs ,
CFIUS ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Declination ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Safe Harbors ,
Voluntary Disclosure
On April 30, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) National Security Division (NSD) announced its second-ever public declination under its updated corporate voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) policy when it declined to charge...more
As a part of the new administration’s broader effort to add regulatory requirements and scrutiny to institutions of higher education, on April 23, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) on Transparency Regarding...more
Key Takeaways-
• Recent Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations affecting cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have equipped the Department of Justice (DOJ) with a powerful source of authority...more
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) has broad authority—born out of executive action during the first Trump administration—to identify and mitigate...more
1/8/2025
/ China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drones ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) proposes to materially revise the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). On December 19, 2024, DOJ issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)...more
1/2/2025
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Foreign Agents ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Governments ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign-Owned Corporations ,
Information Governance ,
National Security ,
Non-Commercial Use ,
Nonprofits ,
NPRM ,
Public Interest ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Social Media ,
Substantial Interest Test ,
Tourism
On December 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) provided insights into Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) regulatory changes and focus areas for 2025. Speaking at the American Conference Institute’s National...more
On November 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit published an advisory opinion that appears to severely narrow the statute’s most important exemptions. In the opinion, the...more
On June 24, 2024, the Commerce Department published a Final Determination under its Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) authorities. The determination prohibits the Russian-controlled cybersecurity...more
7/16/2024
/ CFIUS ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ,
Information Systems Security Program (ISSP) ,
National Security ,
Risk Assessment ,
Russia ,
Software ,
U.S. Commerce Department
Last week the D.C. Circuit released its long-anticipated opinion in the Attorney General v. Wynn, holding that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) could not compel Steve Wynn to retroactively register under the Foreign Agents...more
On May 22, 2024, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Security Division (NSD) announced its first-ever prosecution declination under its corporate voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) policy for sanctions and export controls...more
On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed into law a long-debated $98 billion foreign aid and national security legislative package (the “Act”) providing funds for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, and authorizing new sanctions...more
4/30/2024
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Trafficking ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Aid ,
Hamas ,
Harmonization Rules ,
Human Rights ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Israel ,
Joe Biden ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Taiwan ,
Terrorist Acts ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Ukraine
On March 6, 2024, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, and the Treasury issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (Compliance Note) stressing the need for non-U.S. persons to comply with U.S. sanctions and export controls. The...more
Today’s alert—the second in our Sanctions 2023 Year in Review Series—provides an overview of U.S. sanctions enforcement in 2023, including the key lessons learned from the public enforcement actions issued by the U.S....more
3/5/2024
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFTC ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
SDN List ,
Technology ,
Ukraine ,
Virtual Currency ,
Whistleblowers
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently provided fresh insights into upcoming regulatory changes to key Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) exemptions and discussed new areas of concern. These insights were shared at...more
On April 25, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) filed a civil enforcement action seeking to compel the Federación de Alcades Pedaneo (“FDAP”) to comply with requirements for registrants under the Foreign Agents...more
In an advisory opinion released last week by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit, DOJ adopts a potentially expansive interpretation of FARA that could require online networks,...more
Continuing the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) efforts to bolster enforcement and compliance, on April 18, 2023, BIS issued a memorandum announcing significant changes to its voluntary...more
Today’s alert—the third and final installment in our Sanctions 2022 Year in Review series—provides an overview of U.S. sanctions enforcement in 2022, including the key lessons learned from the enforcement actions issued by...more
At the beginning of the year, we predicted that 2022 would be the next big year for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). And 2022 delivered, though not always in ways...more
The UK government has proposed new registration requirements for foreign influence activities in the UK as part of its attempts to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s political system and democratic institutions against...more
On October 12, 2022, a federal district judge in the District of Columbia, Judge James E. Boasberg, dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil complaint against businessman Steve Wynn, which sought to compel Wynn to...more
On March 2, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the launch of Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the unprecedented sanctions, export, and other measures taken...more
Morrison & Foerster’s Automotive Task Force represents automotive industry clients in their most significant legal matters.
We have tapped our multidisciplinary Automotive Task Force to get their opinions on what is likely...more
2/23/2022
/ Anti-Bribery ,
Antitrust Division ,
Automotive Industry ,
Corruption ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Popular ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)