DOJ Announces New Deferred Prosecution Agreements And Fines

On January 3, 2024, the Department of Justice announced that Barry Bennett and Douglas Watts entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements. Mr. Bennett owned and operated a consultancy named Avenue Strategies that contracted with and registered under FARA for the Embassy of Qatar. As part of that work, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Watts formed an entity called Yemen Watch, LLC that ran a $773,000 public relations campaign designed to cast the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a negative light, which included social media posts, public opinion articles, a documentary series, direct mail pieces, and phone calls to Members of Congress. Yemen Watch, LLC was neither registered under FARA itself nor disclose on Avenue Strategies' FARA filings. Mr. Bennett agreed to pay a $100,000 fine, correct Avenue Strategies' FARA filings, and avoid FARA-registrable conduct for 18 months. Mr. Watts agreed to pay a $25,000 fine and avoid FARA-registrable conduct for 18 months. The Deferred