The recent conviction of Frederic Bourke, a well-known handbag mogul and co-founder of Dooney & Bourke, turned oil and gas investor, broke new ground in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and shed light on a number of important aspects of the FCPA.

In this article, James Tillen discusses the significant developments brought about by the Bourke case, including the application and interpretation of the knowledge requirement of the FCPA; the interpretation of the local law affirmative defense of the FCPA; and guidance on the requirements for tolling the statute of limitations in FCPA criminal enforcement actions.