The Justice Department is investigating potential criminal charges under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to the person familiar with the probe who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about it. “Depending on the facts uncovered, companies like Wal-Mart can expect the penalties to be incredibly high.” 
 
 The bribery allegations were described in an April 21 New York Times story. If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are or what we stand for.” 
 
 A spokesman for Justice Department declined to comment. Mexican Expansion 
 
 The expansion of Wal-Mart de Mexico, mainly in the last decade, left the world’s largest retailer with about 20 percent of its stores in Mexico, out of more than 10,000 worldwide. Wal-Mart has more than doubled the number of stores in Mexico to 2,088 since 2008. Wal-Mart’s shares slid nearly 5 percent Monday, and the company faced more questions about how much it knew about the corruption and why it did not tell authorities. You have to do the investigating and determine what did the CEO know and when.” 
 
 The Times article said the bribes may have amounted to more than $24 million in payments. Hyde was among the company executives who received initial reports of the alleged bribery in 2005, according to the Times story.
– Walmart is under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice over allegations that it doled out millions in bribes to Mexican officials in order to grow its business there more quickly, sources tell Bloomberg and the Washington Post. The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act prohibits companies from paying foreign officials in an effort to increase business, and if Walmart is found to be in violation of FCPA, the company could face executive departures, slowed expansion in Mexico and other markets, and penalties that could be "incredibly high," says one lawyer. In a note to employees yesterday, Walmart CEO Mike Duke said the company is conducting its own "aggressive investigation" into the allegations; in an earlier statement, a VP had noted that "many of the alleged activities ... are more than six years old. If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are or what we stand for." The top Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee also moved yesterday to open a probe into the incident. Walmart shares dove after the allegations came to light.