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- Home
- Professionals
- Veronica Yepez
Veronica Yepez advises multinational companies on compliance with anti-corruption regimes around the world, with a particular focus on Latin America. She is also experienced in white-collar criminal defense, complex litigation, and arbitration for large international companies, major financial institutions, and senior executives.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Yepez founded a leading compliance practice in Latin America, serving both multinational and regional clients. A U.S.-trained lawyer with experience on-the-ground in Latin America, Ms. Yepez draws upon her deep understanding of local business culture to advise her clients on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and other anti-corruption regimes, and to help them navigate complex cross-border compliance issues under the region’s evolving enforcement climate.
Ms. Yepez regularly assists clients with the development, implementation, and testing of their FCPA compliance programs, and leads investigations into allegations of bribery, fraud, and other corporate misconduct. Ms. Yepez has also counseled global financial institutions on the implementation and testing of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) programs.
Compliance Counseling
- Developed policies and procedures for incident reporting and investigation for international mining company.
- Drafted anti-corruption policy for U.S. technology services company with operations in South America.
- Assisted European, Canadian, and American companies in adapting their anti- corruption compliance policies for their operations in Ecuador.
- Conducted training for one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and its compliance officers in Central and South America on effective interview techniques during internal investigations.
- Developed and delivered training on conducting internal investigations for European pharmaceutical company and its Latin American compliance officers.
- Conducted anti-corruption compliance training for European animal nutrition and aqua-feed company’s employees and third parties in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru.
- Conducted anti-corruption compliance training for one of the largest publicly traded technology company’s third parties in Ecuador.
- Represented Ecuador's largest financial institution in connection with a review of its anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) compliance program.
- Reviewed one of Mexico’s most important private bank’s AML/CFT program.
Internal Investigations
- Represented a publicly traded multinational telecommunications company in connection with an internal accounting fraud investigation in Brazil.
- Represented a multinational airline in connection with an internal antitrust investigation.
- Counseled European bank in connection with internal investigation of possible Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) violation involving Iranian, Sudanese, and Syrian sanctions.
Anti-Corruption Due Diligence and Mergers and Acquisitions
- Assisted European life sciences corporation in a pre-acquisition anti-corruption due diligence of an Ecuadorian medical laboratory.
- Represented a U.S. multinational private equity corporation in the anti-corruption due diligence of a pharmaceutical target company in Ecuador.
Individual Representations
- Represented Joseph Sigelman, the former CEO of PetroTiger, in a high-profile FCPA trial. The Department Of Justice charged Mr. Sigelman with bribery and fraud related to his business activities in Colombia.
- Represented one of Mexico’s most prominent bankers in high visibility Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations of Citigroup Inc., in connection with a $750 million fraud involving Banamex., Citigroup’s Mexican subsidiary.
- Represented the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea in a precedent-setting civil forfeiture action brought by the Department of Justice to seize and forfeit his $38.5 million dollar jet.
Arbitration
- Represented the Republic of Argentina before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case in which claimant BG Group PLC sought to confirm a $185 million arbitral award in its favor under a bilateral investment treaty.
January 20, 2021, Covington Alert
Based on the top-line numbers, 2020 was a banner year for U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement. We saw several record-setting fines as U.S.-recovered penalties from corporate resolutions totaled more than $2.75 billion—the highest on record; and a new company entered the all-time U.S. recoveries Top 10 resolutions list. While some commentators ...
September 30, 2020
NEW YORK—Latinvex has selected Nicole Duclos, Veronica Yepez, Mary Hernández, and Ashley Sprague to its 2020 list of the “Top 100 Female Lawyers” at international law firms specializing in Latin America. Covington is among the top three law firms with the most women on the list and the law firm with most women in the FCPA category. Ms. Duclos represents clients ...
July 6, 2020, Covington Alert
On July 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ” or the “Department”) Criminal Division and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Enforcement Division quietly released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Second Edition (the “Second Edition”). The first edition of the Resource Guide (the “First Edition”) was ...
Webinar on Anti-corruption Measures
June 18, 2020, Program Speaker
Ecuador's University, Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, hosted a panel on anti-corruption measures featuring Covington's Veronica Yepez and officers from the Inter-American Development Bank’s Office of Institutional Integrity and Sanctions Committee. Alongside co-presenters, Ms. Yepez discussed how to create an effective compliance program that responds to ...
June 3, 2020, Covington Alert
El 1 de junio de 2020, la División Penal del Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos (“DOJ” o el “Departamento”) publicó una versión actualizada de su documento Evaluación de los programas de compliance corporativo (la “Guía”), que sirve como referencia para los fiscales a la hora de evaluar los programas de compliance corporativo en el contexto de las ...
June 3, 2020, Covington Alert
Em 1º de junho de 2020, a Divisão Criminal do Departamento de Justiça dos EUA ("DOJ" ou "Departamento") publicou uma versão atualizada de seu documento para Avaliação de Programas de Compliance (o "Guia"), que serve como referência para os promotores de justiça na avaliação de programas de compliance no contexto das investigações do Departamento. O Departamento ...
June 3, 2020, Covington Alert
On June 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ” or the “Department”) Criminal Division released an updated version of its Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs document (the “Guidance”), which serves as a reference for prosecutors in assessing corporate compliance programs in the context of DOJ investigations. The Department last revised the ...
April 30, 2020, Covington Alert
30 de abril de 2020, Covington Alert
January 30, 2020, Covington Alert
It has been another strong year in anti-corruption enforcement, with 2019 meeting or beating the high-water mark for enforcement across a number of measurements.
Bribes and Other Corporate Misconduct: Why They are Not Good for Business in Argentina
September 15, 2019, La Nacion
Veronica Yepez recently spoke at the Marval International Summit on Compliance, Anti-Corruption, and Investigations conference and was quoted in La Nacion regarding how major internal investigations begin in Argentina. Ms. Yepez explained that an internal report, often, a human resources report, journalistic investigation, an internal or external audit or ...
June 11, 2019, Global Investigations Review
Veronica Yepez is quoted extensively in Global Investigations Review from her panel session at the Latin Lawyer - GIR Live Anti-Corruption & Investigations conference in Mexico City. In discussing the legacy of the Brazilian “Car Wash” investigations, Ms. Yepez said that episode is driving cooperation in South America: “We are not only seeing close cooperation ...
May 23, 2019
NEW YORK, May 23, 2019—Latinvex has selected Nicole Duclos, Mary Hernández, Ashley Sprague, and Veronica Yepez to its 2019 list of the “Top 100 Female Lawyers” at international law firms specializing in Latin America. Covington is among the top three law firms with the most women on the list. Ms. Duclos represents clients in international commercial and ...
May 10, 2019, Covington Alert
On April 30, 2019, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Criminal Division released an updated version of the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (the “Guidance”), which serves as a reference for prosecutors in assessing corporate compliance programs in the context of DOJ investigations.
Q1 2019, Covington Alert
It was business as usual for FCPA enforcement in 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) collected a total of $1 billion from seventeen corporate defendants, including through their share of two high-value, multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions. DOJ also announced thirteen new FCPA prosecutions ...
Winter 2019, Covington Alert
It was business as usual for FCPA enforcement in 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) collected a total of $1 billion from seventeen corporate defendants, including through their share of two high-value, multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions. DOJ also announced thirteen new FCPA prosecutions ...
January 16, 2019, Covington Alert
On December 26, 2018, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") settled an enforcement action against Centrais Eléctricas Brasileiras S.A. ("Eletrobras"), an electric utilities holding company majority-owned and controlled by the Brazilian government.
Veronica Yepez joins Covington & Burling
September 26, 2018, Latin Lawyer
Veronica Yepez is quoted in Latin Lawyer regarding her recent move to the firm. Ms. Yepez says, “Covington offers clients true global compliance capabilities. The deep bench of former prosecutors and former DOJ senior offices with oversight over FCPA enforcement is unparalleled.” Don Ridings, chair of the firm’s anti-corruption practice, says, “Veronica built a ...
June 15, 2018, The Latin American Corporate Counsel Association
What Compliance Officers Need to Know: How foreign Anti-Corruption Laws are Affecting Risk and Compliance for Brazilian Multinationals
May 24, 2018, American Conference Institute, 8th Brazil Summit on Anti-Corruption, Sao Paulo
Anti-Corruption Legislating and Enforcement in Latin America: Evolution or Revolution
March 2, 2018, Lex Mundi, Latin America/Caribbean Regional Conference, Buenos Aires
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and recent cases
January 17, 2018, Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Quito
Right-Sizing Internal Investigations in the Andean Region: Practical Considerations for Managing the Scope and Costs of Investigating Bribery
November 16, 2016, American Conference Institute, 2nd Andean Summit on Anti-Corruption Compliance & Enforcement, Bogota
Mock trial: Cranbrooke Industries PLC. vs. Intellex Electronics, Inc.
March 23, 2016, Intensive Course on Oral Litigation – Intensive skill development program for oral proceedings under the Organic General Procedural Code, Universidad San Francisco de Quito Law School, Quito
Developing an Effective Theory of the Case
March 22, 2016, Intensive Course on Oral Litigation – Intensive skill development program for oral proceedings under the Organic General Procedural Code, Universidad San Francisco de Quito Law School, Quito
FCPA Update: What Latest Investigations Reveal about FBI, SEC, and US Department of Justice Targets and Where Companies are Most at Risk
December 2, 2015, American Conference Institute, Andean Summit on Anti-Corruption Compliance & Enforcement, Bogota
Practical Case Studies: How to Conduct an Effective Internal Investigation within the Confines of Data Privacy and Employment Law Restrictions
October 15, 2015, American Conference Institute, 2nd Anti-Corruption Boot Camp, Miami
Pitfalls to Avoid When Conducting an Internal Investigation: Lessons Learned from the Most Costly Investigations Mistakes in Brazil
May 14, 2014, American Conference Institute, 4th Latin America Summit on Anti-Corruption
- Latinvex, Latin America’s Top 100 Female Lawyers: FCPA & Fraud (2019-2020)
- In 2017 and 2018, the Latin American Corporate Counsel Association (LACCA) recognized Ms. Yepez as being among the region’s leading business lawyers under its Anti-Corruption & Compliance chapter.