Sargeant Marine recently pled guilty to conspiracy to violate anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a move that Alejandra Montenegro Almonte stated "can result in loss of business and serious reputational harm that can be difficult to overcome." The case "involved separate schemes touching three different countries in Latin America across a span of eight years," Montenegro Almonte noted, adding it was unfortunate that "there are still business actors … that believe bribery is a necessary cost to conducting business" in the region. She said this guilty plea highlights "the importance of implementing internal controls designed to detect and prevent" FCPA violations and that "smaller, private entities should take note and use this case to train their business leaders on the need to implement effective internal controls even if not obligated to by law."