Community water systems that each serve fewer than 3,300 people now account for 92 percent of all Federal regulatory violations, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Now, as federal investigations of possible regulatory and accounting violations related to options backdating have expanded to include more than 80 companies.

"The responsibility for the observed inefficiencies and regulatory violations," the study said, "must ultimately rest with the sheriff."

The current crisis was set off by the Russian central bank; it recently shut Sodbusinessbank, citing accusations of regulatory violations and money laundering.

Misconduct allegations are noncriminal in nature and typically involve ethics or regulatory violations.

But he said, "We are informed that the audit report does not find any statutory or regulatory violation in the manner in which these contracts were let."

In its nine years of operation, Apple Tours has had hundreds of regulatory and safety violations.

Either a conviction on the fraud charges or a finding of regulatory violations could cost the bank its United States banking license.

In August 2012, the government of Uzbekistan revoked the company's operating license and arrested several of its top management, citing repeated regulatory violations.

If the FAA does not find any evidence of regulatory violation, it will defer any further investigation of the accident to local law enforcement.