Exemplary Efforts Set International Standard for Company Compliance

UTICA, N.Y., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the midst of one of the most extensive Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations ever undertaken, Siemens AG became a model for compliance remediation. Following a two-year investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice hailed Siemens' efforts and cooperation as "extraordinary." In October, a Siemens case study will be presented at the 20(th) annual national conference of the Economic Crime Institute (ECI) of Utica College. The presentation, "Preventing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Violations through Compliance and Ethics Incentives - Siemens as a Case Study," will be made by Siemens Corporation's Joel Kirsch, vice president and chief compliance officer, and Ariel Ramirez, a director in the global forensic audit team. The conference is at the Bolger Center in Potomac, Md.

Kirsch and Ramirez join keynote speakers Cynthia Cooper, WorldCom whistleblower, and Martin T. Biegelman, director of the financial integrity unit at Microsoft Corporation. The conference, "Extraordinary Circumstances: Combating Fraud and Corruption in Hard Times," is especially relevant as times of economic hardship often correlate with increasing fraudulent activities. The conference will present professionals with means to detect, prosecute and prevent fraud through the latest technology and will highlight some landmark cases faced by professionals in the field.

Utica College, a pioneer in economic crime education, offers bachelors and masters programs in economic crime investigation and management, and is the home of the Center for Identity Management and Information Protection (CIMIP).

Siemens AG, Europe's largest engineering company with more than 400,000 employees, conducted what has been called the largest FCPA investigation ever. The FCPA prohibits corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business. The law was enacted in 1977 to halt the bribery of foreign officials and restore American confidence in the U.S. business system. Siemens announced that its own internal investigation had uncovered $14 billion in questionable payments from 2000-2006. As a result of the investigation, Siemens paid the largest fine ever imposed pursuant the FCPA. Fines and restitution totaled $850 million.

As vice president and chief compliance officer for Siemens Corporation, Kirsch is responsible for the ethics and compliance for all Siemens entities in the United States. Before this position, Kirsch was the chief of litigation for Siemens in the U.S. Kirsch earned a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University and his Juris Doctorate degree from Temple University School of Law. In 2008, Kirsch participated in the Partnership for New York's David Rockefeller Fellows program, which focuses on public and private sector cooperation in New York City.

In his current role, Ramirez leads investigations worldwide. Prior to this position, he served as director of special investigations for Siemens Corporation, responsible for fraud investigative and training efforts in North America. Ramirez is an adjunct faculty professor at the University of Maryland, where he teaches graduate fraud investigation and forensic accounting. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and MBA in international business. Past president of the Institute of Internal Auditors in Northern Virginia, Ramirez serves on the board of advisors of the Economic Crime Institute of Utica College.

The conference will feature separate economic crime, identity theft and cybersecurity tracks, as well as opportunities for networking. Attendees can earn up to 16 CPE credits. For more information or to register, visit http://www.utica.edu/eciconference.

Contact: Christine Leogrande, Director of Media Relations, (315) 223-2519 cleogrande@utica.edu

SOURCE Utica College