Defendant Name: WPP plc

Defendant Type: Public Company

Document Reference: 2021-191

Document Details

Legal Case Name In the Matter of WPP PLC
Document Name SEC Charges World's Largest Advertising Group with FCPA Violations
Document Date 24-Sep-2021
Document Format Administrative Proceeding
File Number
Allegation Type Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Document Summary The SEC "announced that London-based WPP plc, the world's largest advertising group, has agreed to pay more than $19 million to resolve charges that it violated the anti-bribery, books and records, and internal accounting controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)."

Disgorgement & Penalty Information

Resolutions
Cease and Desist Order
Monetary Penalties:

Disgorgement

Individual:     $10,100,000.00 Shared:    

Civil Penalty

Individual:     $8,000,000.00 Shared:    

Pre-Judgment Interest

Individual:     $1,100,000.00 Shared:    

Related Documents:

34-93117 24-Sep-2021 Administrative Proceeding
Order Instituting Cease-and- Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing A Cease-and-Desist Order
On September 24, 2021, the SEC instituted settled cease-and-desist proceedings stating: "This matter concerns violations of the anti-bribery, books and records, and internal accounting controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") by WPP, the world's largest advertising group. The bribery scheme took place at a WPP majority-owned subsidiary in India, which, through intermediaries, paid as much as a million dollars in bribes to Indian officials to obtain and retain government business, resulting in over $5 million in net profit from 2015 -- 2017."