Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

FBI Increasingly Probes for Corruption Overseas

FBI Increasingly Probes for Corruption Overseas

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken on a bigger role in foreign investigations with U.S. ties, expanding its international corruption unit in recent years to pursue individuals and organizations involved in crimes such as bribery, kleptocracy and antitrust.
The bureau’s newest international corruption squad in particular, set up last year in Miami, shows how agents are helping tackle foreign bribery through enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and kleptocracy violations via U.S. money-laundering rules. The Miami team has worked at least five cases, including several that led to high-profile settlements this year.

“The FBI has participated in these investigations for years, and it appears to be taking a larger and more focused and better-resourced role, especially in FCPA matters,” said Matteson Ellis, an attorney who specializes in international anticorruption compliance and enforcement at Miller & Chevalier Chartered.

The FCPA prohibits U.S. persons and entities from giving or offering anything of value to foreign public officials to win business.

The Miami international corruption squad focuses on the Latin American region, complementing three similar units in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The bureau saw a need to set up a squad in Miami as case work related to bribery and money-laundering schemes there swelled, overwhelming the two full-time agents focusing on international corruption at the time, according to Leslie Backschies, chief of the FBI’s international corruption unit.

“We were perpetually flying down to South America; individuals were transiting through the Miami area,” said Ms. Backschies, who was head of the FBI’s international corruption team in Los Angeles before leading the national team.

“We were seeing assets being procured with illicit proceeds. We were just seeing a lot of bad activity,” she said. “And everyone was always having to go to Miami to conduct interviews.” So the Miami unit was created, starting operations in March 2019.

The FBI took agents from its Houston office to Miami, hand-picking those with expertise in international cases who had worked with multiple teams of prosecutors in the U.S. and abroad at the same time, Ms. Backschies said. The FBI’s international corruption unit now has 51 staff members, including special agents, intelligence officers, analysts and forensic accountants across the country. By comparison, there were only 13 agents and one analyst in the field office in Washington in 2010.

In Miami, the bureau has looked for agents with cultural fluency and language skills, particularly Spanish and Portuguese, according to Rick Simpson, head of the Miami squad.

The transactional corruption unit works closely with foreign governments and prosecutors, often running parallel investigations, Mr. Simpson said. In Latin America, the agents have had strong partnerships with law enforcement in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador, he said.

With the new dedicated squads, the FBI is initiating more cases, Mr. Simpson said. The bureau handles the investigation of FCPA cases and works hand-in-hand with prosecutors from the U.S. Justice Department on cases from start to finish, including regularly sending agents to meetings with companies and their lawyers, he said.

The Miami squad was credited with assisting in investigations related to several recent FCPA settlements, including a deal with Sargeant Marine Inc., a Florida asphalt company that pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to violate antibribery provisions of the FCPA.

The FBI’s investigative work also helped lead to a settlement in October with J&F Investimentos SA. The Brazilian firm, which controls meatpacking giant JBS SA, agreed to pay $128 million and pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of conspiring to violate the FCPA.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×