Deferred prosecution agreements to resolve corporate criminal charges are leading to a “sea change” in corporate compliance culture, says U.S. Justice Department criminal division chief Lanny Breuer. In a speech reported by Main Justice, Breuer said the agreements have led to a “truly transformative effect” on “corporate culture across the globe.”
The Justice Department entered into 40 such agreements in 2010, up from 2 in 2000. Their use increased after accounting firm Arthur Andersen collapsed after its 2002 indictment. Critic Anthony Barkow, a New York City lawyer formerly at New York University, said the agreements are “completely unregulated by an outside entity.”