News Corp under investigation in the United States over bribery allegations

After a pho-hacking stir in Britain, News Corp is facing an investigation by US authorities for possible violation of the bribery laws. Employees of News of the World tabloid were accused of hacking into personal voicemail and paying bribes.

News Corp could face scrutiny in the United States if any of the allegations is found true and violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

That law makes it a crime for any company with U.S. ties to bribe foreign officials to obtain or retain business.

According to the reports in British media sources, News of the World reporters paid for phone details for the royal family from a security officer. Besides, The Daily Mirror newspaper reported, citing an unidentified source, that News of the World reporters had also offered to pay a New York police officer to retrieve the private phone records of victims of the September 11 attacks.

At a minimum, the News Corp would be at risk for violating laws on accurate accounting reporting if the bribes were paid, according to legal experts.

"Would the Department of Justice go after them on a criminal basis? Hard to say. But the SEC definitely has a stake in this," said Alexandra Wrage, a legal expert on bribery who is the president of the firm TRACE, which helps companies comply with anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws