Episode 324 -- Third-Party Risks and Sanctions Compliance
FINCast Ep. 39 – State of Russia Sanctions Two Years After the Invasion
Understanding the Additional Risks When Making a Ransomware Payment
Looking The Other Way: Recent Cases Of AML And Sanctions Failings In Scandinavia
Episode 118 -- Update on OFAC Enforcement and Lessons Learned
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) has released a $7.45 million penalty against State Street Bank and Trust Company and its non-bank, fintech subsidiary Charles River Systems for...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) last week issued guidance regarding the extension of the statute of limitations for sanctions violations. This guidance follows the enactment of...more
New OFAC Guidance on Statute of Limitations - On July 22, 2024, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published new guidance addressing how it intends to apply a recent change in the statute of limitations for...more
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has released guidance following on Congress’ extension of the statute of limitations for violations of certain sanctions and related recordkeeping...more
On July 22, 2024, the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") of the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a Guidance on Extension of Statute of Limitations (the "Guidance"). The Guidance calls attention to the recently...more
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has released updated guidance concerning recent legislation that doubled the statute of limitations for violations of certain sanctions and export control...more
On July 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued guidance addressing the April 2024 extension of the statute of limitations for sanctions violations from five years to 10...more
In today's digital landscape, sanctions enforcement has become a critical concern for Financial Institutions (FIs). The borderless nature of cyberspace can make it difficult to monitor and regulate activities that may breach...more
On June 26, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the settlement of an enforcement action against an Italian animation company that violated OFAC’s sanctions on North Korea. The enforcement action...more
On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed into law H.R. 815 (Pub. L. 118-50), “Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes” (the “Act”), which includes...more
We all know what a “core” sanctions violation looks like. The heartland of such misconduct has been described on numerous occasions in OFAC enforcement actions and settlements. In this environment, however, companies have...more
In this new era of aggressive sanctions enforcement, companies have to understand the red lines that define where criminal and civil enforcement risk increase. In contrast to the history of FCPA enforcement, DOJ and OFAC...more
Recently, President Biden signed a foreign military support bill (H.R. 815) into law, which also encompassed the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act (the Act), a legislative proposal introduced in the House containing...more
While OFAC’s enforcement actions and guidance points to important steps exporters must take when relying on third-party distributors and other intermediaries, the “reason to know” and affirmative obligations to monitor resale...more
Companies rely on robust distribution chains as an efficient mechanism to enter new markets without requiring a significant investment. Additionally, companies may maintain parallel sales activities in markets between their...more
President Biden last month signed into law H.R. 815 (“National Security Supplemental” or “NSS”). The NSS—a package of national security and foreign aid appropriations, including for efforts in Israel, Ukraine, and the...more
Congress has doubled the statute of limitations for violations of most U.S. sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. Companies should be aware of the...more
On April 24, 2024, the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act became law. Although the Act contains many key national security policies, including aid for Ukraine and Israel, one provision that has been overlooked is a...more
Following months of delays and intense debate in Congress, President Biden signed H.R. 815 into law on April 24, 2024, which made headlines for funding $95 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, along with...more
While media reporting has predominantly focused on the provisions in the emergency foreign aid package that President Biden signed into law on April 24, 2024 that provides funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, House Foreign...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has announced two enforcement actions this year. Both reference the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's (FinCEN) whistleblower program,...more
OFAC is capable of extending a long-arm of enforcement, reaching sometimes non-U.S. companies that may “cause” another company to violate U.S. Sanctions laws. If you need to find an example of this long reach, look no...more
As DOJ, OFAC and BIS ramp up sanctions and export controls enforcement, they have continued to provide important compliance guidance. You have to give the enforcement agencies credit — on the one hand, they regularly warn of...more
Companies and their executives can reduce Department of Justice (DoJ), OFAC, and Commerce Department risks (and liability) by understanding and respecting the relationship between economic sanctions, voluntary...more