Zimmer Biomet concluded a three-year-old DPA tin compound with a replacement criminal information filed today in the District of Columbia, accusing the company of failing to implement a system of effective internal accounting controls. Under its agreement with the ministry, Zimmer agreed to pay Biomet a fine of $17.4 million and maintain an independent compliance monitor for three years. The action agreement is subject to judicial approval. A hearing is scheduled for January 13. Zimmer Biomet first faced FCPA charges from the SEC and, in March 2012, entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice in which it agreed to pay more than $22 million to settle both cases. As part of the SEC settlement, the company agreed to hire an independent compliance consultant to review its FCPA compliance program. Biomet entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Department of Justice that required it to retain an independent compliance monitor for three years and settled claims with the SEC through an internal administrative order, ceasing the need to go to court. On February 9, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the replacement information against Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc., an Indiana-based medical device manufacturer, terminating the company`s January 2017 deferred lawsuit agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The dismissal followed a request from the Department of Justice dated 5.
February 2021, in which it was determined that Zimmer had “fully fulfilled its obligations under the 2017 CCA.” Zimmer`s CCA in 2017 related to the conduct of Biomet, Inc. prior to the acquisition. (which Zimmer acquired in 2015) and stemmed from Biomet`s failure to comply with an earlier March 2012 DPA, which it entered into with the DOJ in connection with allegations that Biomet had violated the anti-bribery and accounting provisions of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Those allegations concerned undue payments made by Biomet and its subsidiaries in China, Argentina and Brazil between 2000 and 2008. In the March 2012 DPA, Biomet agreed to pay a fine of $17.3 million, hire an independent monitor for 18 months, and introduce improved anti-corruption controls. Biomet also entered into a concurrent consent agreement with the SEC under which it agreed to pay an additional $5.5 million in pre-conviction forfeiture and interest. In the following years, Biomet`s monitoring period was extended several times, as Biomet discovered other potentially inappropriate activities in Mexico and Brazil. In January 2017, Zimmer entered into a new DPA with the Department of Justice regarding alleged violations of fcpa`s internal control regulations, in which it acknowledged that Biomet had failed to comply with the terms of the 2012 CCA and agreed to pay $24 million in fines, forfeiture, and pre-conviction interest and to appoint an independent monitor for three years.
Zimmer also agreed to an administrative resolution with the SEC for the same misconduct, under which Zimmer paid an additional $13 million in fines, levies, and pre-conviction interest. Monitoring was completed in August 2020. Deputy Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell said: “Under reasonable circumstances, the department will resolve serious criminal behaviour by other means, but there will be consequences for companies that refuse to take these deals seriously.” Zimmer Biomet Holdings AG (Zimmer Biomet), an Indiana-based manufacturer of orthopedic and dental implants, has agreed to pay a $17.4 million fine as part of a program to pay bribes to government officials in Mexico and for violations of the internal control provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) that affect the company`s operations in Mexico and Brazil. Zimmer Biomet had violated a 2012 Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) in which the ministry settled an earlier investigation into FCPA violations by Biomet Inc., which became part of Zimmer Biomet in 2015. Biomet, which has since been acquired by Zimmer Holdings and renamed Zimmer Biomet, has agreed to pay more than $5.82 million in withdrawals, plus $702,705 in interest and a fine of $6.5 million for a total of more than $13 million. Zimmer Biomet has also agreed to hire an independent compliance monitor for a period of three years to review its FCPA policies. Under the deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice, Zimmer Biomet agreed to pay a fine of more than $17.46 million. “Zimmer Biomet had the opportunity to escape criminal charges, but his misconduct allowed the bribes to continue,” said Deputy Attorney General Caldwell. “Zimmer Biomet is now paying the price for ignoring its obligations under the previous deferred prosecution agreement. Under reasonable circumstances, the department will resolve serious criminal behaviour through other means, but there will be consequences for companies that refuse to take these agreements seriously.
In June 2016, the Justice Ministry said Biomet had violated the 2012 ODA “due to the behavior in Brazil and Mexico.” After the Justice Department zimmer told Biomet that it was in violation of the 2012 CCA, the company cooperated “unreservedly” and provided information about those involved in the misconduct. This agreement requires Zimmer Biomet to have another three-year DPA with an independent compliance monitor. The Fraud Division of the Criminal Division made this resolution based on a number of factors, including the fact that Zimmer Biomet violated the 2012 DPA between Biomet and the ministry. The deal triggered a preliminary ministry investigation into Biomet`s FCPA violations, including bribery of government officials in Argentina, Brazil and China, as well as falsifying the company`s financial records to conceal the true nature of the corruption payments. According to the 2012 CCA, Biomet was required to commission an independent compliance monitor. The Controller`s mandate was extended by one year in 2015, both due to corruption in Brazil and Mexico and the fact that the Zimmer Biomet compliance program did not meet the requirements of the 2012 DSA. At the end of the extended period, the independent auditor could not confirm that the company`s compliance program met the requirements of the 2012 DSA, and the ministry told Zimmer Biomet that it was considered a violation of the agreement. Zimmer Biomet fully cooperated with the ongoing investigation and provided the fraud department with all relevant facts known to the company, including information about the individuals involved in the misconduct.
However, given that Zimmer Biomet has failed to implement an effective compliance program and has committed other crimes as part of a DPA and monitoring, the current DPA requires Zimmer Biomet to maintain an independent compliance monitor for a period of three years. JERDS Luxembourg Holding S.ár.l. (JERDS), an indirect subsidiary of Zimmer Biomet, has agreed to plead guilty to an indictment also filed in the District of Columbia, accusing Biomet of violating FCPA accounting and record-keeping regulations by shares of 3i Mexico, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JERDS. .