In brief On June 26, 2024, in Snyder v. United States, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Kavanaugh, significantly limited the federal statute criminalizing gratuities in state and local jurisdictions. Snyder, a mayor, awarded a USD 1.3 million contract and received a USD 13,000 payment from the benefiting company. The Supreme Court ruled that the relevant statute, Title 18 section 666, applies only to bribes paid or promised before an official act,…
In brief On 8 July 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement of cybersecurity fraud charges against Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc. (Aerojet) following an action under the False Claims Act (FCA). Aerojet agreed to pay USD 9 million to the US government to settle allegations that it misrepresented its compliance with cybersecurity requirements when entering into federal government contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense. The case started when Aerojet’s former employee, Brian Markus, filed…