On June 10, 2024, Washington nonprofit and Searby Law client World Forest ID garnered publication of an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding their efforts to identify sanctioned timber originating from Russia. The article describes their work using wood samples, AI, and statistical models to help European Union member states identify and successfully prevent the importation of Russian timber. World Forest ID will continue to expand their database to include other goods often tied to human rights abuses, including cotton, soy, and cacao, presenting an opportunity for governments to apply this technology to more adequately enforce these sanctions. Searby Law has assisted World Forest ID with raising funds.
Bruce Searby’s remarks on prosecutorial practices with witnesses reported in Global Investigations Review
On May 22, 2024, an article in Global Investigations Review reported the comments of Bruce Searby about cooperating with federal prosecutors, in the context of an upcoming foreign bribery trial this September in New Jersey.
Searby PLLC Joins the FACT Coalition’s Environmental Crimes Working Group
Searby PLLC is proud to announce our membership in the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition and our active participation in its Environmental Crimes Working Group.
This initiative underscores our commitment to addressing the intersection of environmental crime and illicit finance. By collaborating with FACT’s specialized working group, we aim to advance policy solutions that combat financial secrecy, disrupt the laundering of proceeds from environmental crimes, and promote sustainable practices.
At Searby PLLC, we are dedicated to fostering accountability, ethical business conduct, and global environmental protection.
Bruce Searby Ranked By Chambers and Partners for 2024 As Leading White-Collar Crime Lawyer
Bruce Searby was ranked by Chambers and Partners for 2024 in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations. Chambers quotes: “Bruce is well regarded for his expertise in white-collar criminal defense. He offers particular experience in matters concerning environmental crimes, as well as allegations of fraud." Chambers also quoted someone as saying "Bruce is a fantastic lawyer who thinks creatively about every matter he works on" and another as saying "[he] is excellent on the law, outstanding at complex work and cares about his clients." Chambers is an independent research company operating across 200 jurisdictions delivering detailed rankings and insight into the world's leading lawyers.
Goodyear's Malaysian Subsidiary Shutters Operation Accused of Illegal Labor Practices
In March 2024, a Goodyear subsidiary in Shah Alam, Malaysia closed its tire-manufacturing plant after workers reached a settlement agreement in 2022 compensating them. The company stated that it was closing its doors due to cost cutting strategies. Two years prior to the settlement, a Searby client led a civil society investigation into alleged labor rights violations involving hundreds of foreign migrant workers.
Searby Law Advocates to Preserve Ukrainian Mountain Range
Searby PLLC, acting as a agent of a foreign principal registered with the Department of Justice for Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), a Swiss NGO, continues to take action to protect a Ukrainian mountain range from harmful development. Europe's last mostly-pristine natural landscape known for its biodiversity, virgin forests, highland meadows, mountain lakes and rivers, the Carpathian Mountains face danger from plans for new ski resorts that lack long-term economic feasibility but that will provide short-term profits to controversial developers and their associates.
Searby Law Persuades Fish and Wildlife Service To Reverse Decision Adverse to Client
On February 21, 2024, Searby Law convinced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reverse its decision denying a client's request for an import permit, on the basis that a permit would be consistent with the purposes of the Endangered Species Act and its implementing regulations.
Swiss NGO, Searby Law Lobby Capitol Hill About FBI Building Leased from Foreign Owners Tied to Deforestation
In January and February 2024, Bruce Searby acting as an agent of a foreign principal registered with the Department of Justice for Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), a Swiss NGO, lobbied several Senate and House members on Capitol Hill to examine more closely the FBI's lease of an office tower in Seattle tied to Malaysian ownership. BMF has contended for years that the building likely belonged to the powerful politician Abdul Taib Mahmud, under whose leadership there occurred epic deforestation.
NGO Meetings with Justice Department, Export Control Violations Are the Subject of Article Quoting Bruce Searby
On December 21, 2023, Global investigations Review quoted Bruce Searby about the practice of Non-Governmental Organizations providing actionable information to U.S Justice Department and other government investigators. The article described a Ukrainian NGO’s meetings with U.S. officials about export control violations contributing to the war against Ukraine.
See https://globalinvestigationsreview.com/just-sanctions/article/us-enforcement-officials-urged-curb-machine-tool-shipments-russia
Bruce Searby Quoted In Global Investigations Review About Venezuelan Corruption Case
On November 30, 2023, Global Investigations Review quoted Bruce Searby in an article: US quietly drops PDVSA money laundering case, Bruce Searby as a former federal prosecutor on how turnover and staffing issues at the DOJ can interfere with prosecutions.