FCPA Trial Rarity: Charles Hobson Convicted

FCPA Trial Rarity: Charles Hobson Convicted

From Compliance into the Weeds by Tom Fox

February 25, 2026 · 24 min · Episode 454

About this episode

Tom Fox and Matt Kelly discuss the conviction of Charles Hobson for FCPA violations and the implications for corporate and individual accountability.

The award-winning Compliance into the Weeds is the only weekly podcast that takes a deep dive into a compliance-related topic, literally going into the weeds to explore it more fully. Looking for some hard-hitting insights on compliance? Look no further than Compliance into the Weeds! In this episode of Compliance into the Weeds, Tom Fox and Matt Kelly look at the recent conviction of Charles ‘Hunter” Hobson for FCPA violations. Former Corsa Coal senior sales executive Charles Hunter Hobson was found guilty in Pennsylvania of helping arrange roughly $4.8 million in bribes to officials tied to a state-owned Egyptian coal company, using an intermediary, to secure about $143 million in contracts. Also, Hobson allegedly pocketed about $200,000. Tom and Matt Hobson’s unsuccessful “dog bite” defenses. They also discuss tensions between corporate and individual accountability, the practical reality that companies may cooperate and “turn on” individuals, and that individuals can also expose companies by cooperating with prosecutors. Finally, they speculate on why DOJ pursued trial amid shifting enforcement signals, referencing other recent FCPA matters (Millicom DPA, Smartmatic…

People in this episode

Hosts: Tom Fox, Matt Kelly

Topics covered

  • FCPA
  • bribery
  • corporate accountability
  • individual accountability
  • DOJ trial strategy

Keywords

  • Charles Hobson
  • Corsa Coal
  • Egyptian coal company
  • bribes
  • DOJ
  • trial

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Compliance into the Weeds, a Davey, a Communicator Award, a W3 Award

Places: Pennsylvania

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