Your editorial "Justice's Bribery Racket" (Feb. 16) attacks the recent prosecutions by the Justice Department under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act but misses the point. The FCPA provides a strong and effective mechanism to sanction companies and individuals that make corrupt payments to foreign officials. It thus deters behavior that distorts market competition and causes damage at all levels of society.

The judges hearing the cases cited in the editorial found fault with the Justice Department's conduct rather than with...