Johnson Controls, Inc. Pays $14.4 Million to Settle SEC FCPA Allegations; DOJ Declines Criminal Prosecution

On July 11, 2016, Johnson Controls, Inc. (“JCI”) agreed to pay $14.4 million to settle allegations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that JCI, through its subsidiaries in China, violated the books and records and internal controls provisions of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The SEC alleged that, from 2007 to 2013, nearly all of the employees of JCI’s Chinese subsidiaries engaged in a scheme by which they made improper payments of approximately $4.9 million to employees of Chinese government-owned shipyards, ship owners, and others.