Welcome to the SBR-Author’s Podcast! In this podcast series, Host Tom Fox visits with authors in the compliance arena and beyond. In this episode, Tom Fox welcomes Severin Wirz, Senior Director for Ethics and Compliance at Applied Materials and author of “Bribery Beyond Borders: The Story of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.”
The book is about the origins, narrative approach, and future of FCPA enforcement. Severin explains he used storytelling to challenge conventional views that the FCPA was merely post-Watergate morality or the product of Stanley Sporkin alone, tracing a longer lineage of U.S. anti-corruption laws (Federal Corrupt Practices Act, Travel Act, Hobbs Act, RICO, Bank Secrecy Act) instead. He recounts the United Brands/Eli Black scandal, Wall Street Journal reporting that broke key bribery revelations, Stanley Sporkin’s role at the SEC, and the legislative influence of Frank Church and William Proxmire amid debates over disclosure, criminalization, and books-and-records provisions. Severin discusses shifting geopolitical drivers of enforcement and recommends related reading and contact options.
Key highlights:
- Severin’s Compliance Journey
- Writing FCPA as a Thriller
- Eli Black Scandal Breaks
- Sporkin and SEC Momentum
- Journalists Connect the Dots
- Frank Church and Cold War Stakes
- Proxmire Gets It Passed
- Three Visions of the FCPA
- Future Enforcement and Geopolitics
Resources:
Severin Wirz on LinkedIn
Bribery Beyond Borders: The Story of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act on CCI and Amazon.
Tom Fox
