January 21, 2010

The FBI might have targeted any of many lines of export business for its unprecedented sting operation ("the first large-scale foreign bribery investigation using undercover federal agents"). It happened to select a big gun show, the sort of event many of whose participants have very little love lost with the Obama Justice Department. Now Business Week says, half-hopefully or not, that the resulting prosecutions may "leave the firearms industry wounded." Was that a foreseen consequence? Much more about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in our earlier FCPA posts.

More: Ira Stoll talks with Harvey Silverglate about the Supreme Court's narrow definition of entrapment. And Mike Koehler at FCPA Professor has a lot of detail about the defendants and allegations.

Further: From Koehler, new details hinting that foreign bribery in the arms trade was something already on Justice's radar screen before the sting.