Avon pays fine of $135m to settle bribery allegations

US authorities on Wednesday fined international cosmetics seller Avon Products $135 million to settle a corruption probe in China.

The global beauty supplier, known for its door-to-door and catalog sales, bribed local officials with foreign travel and expensive trinkets such as Gucci bags and Louis Vuitton merchandise, the US Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement.

The SEC said Avon had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by failing to stop bribes to Chinese officials.