FINCast Ep. 19 - The DPRK Sanctions Program
The Senate Finance Committee recently released its own draft of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the Bill) previously passed by the House as H.R. 1. Both the House and Senate versions of the Bill impose restrictions on...more
On March 21, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) officially lifted sanctions on Tornado Cash, the decentralized cryptocurrency mixer it had blacklisted in August 2022....more
Throughout 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") published 12 enforcement actions regarding alleged sanctions violations by foreign and domestic persons and entities....more
On January 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Export Enforcement published its 2024 Year in Review, spotlighting key accomplishments in protecting U.S. national security. In this...more
North Korea Sanctions Violations - In a recent enforcement action, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) imposed an $860,000 penalty on Vietnam Beverage Company Limited (“VBCL”), a...more
Global companies face significant risks in their supply chains of compliance with OFAC’s economic sanctions regime. OFAC has emphasized the importance of conducting supply chain risk assessments and audits....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
OFAC has been busy and not so busy — what do I mean? OFAC is administering a complex set of coordinated sanctions against Russia, in close coordination with the EU and the UK....more
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates these stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
On June 16, the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule, to be effective July 17, implementing the Protecting Americans’ Sensitive Data From Foreign Adversaries and amending the Securing the Information and...more
The Justice Department warned companies that sanctions enforcement is the “new FCPA.” DOJ just delivered its first salvo to back up its message....more
On April 25, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $508 million settlement with one of the world’s largest tobacco companies to resolve potential civil liabilities stemming from...more
OFAC had a quiet start to the year – no enforcement actions but plenty of new and revised sanctions against Russia. OFAC started off March 2023 with a new enforcement action against Godfrey Phillips India, a tobacco...more
Russia - Former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New York Counterintelligence Division Charged with Violating U.S. Sanctions on Russia (DOJ) Those involved. Charles McGonigal, former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI...more
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control had another consistent year – not a big year but continued adherence to its enforcement program. At the end of the year, OFAC announced a settlement with TD Bank...more
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control continues to focus enforcement activities on digital currency companies. This focus is likely to increase given recent comments by Janet Yellen, the head of the...more
PT Bukit Muria Jaya (BMJ), a global supplier of cigarette paper based in Indonesia, agreed to pay $1,561,570 for conspiracy to commit bank fraud as part of a scheme to deceive various banks in order to collect payments for...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) filed a civil forfeiture complaint detailing two hacks of virtual currency exchanges by North Korean actors. These actors stole millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency or other...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) filed a civil forfeiture complaint detailing two hacks of virtual currency exchanges by North Korean actors. These actors stole millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency and...more
The Justice Department and OFAC announced a settlement with Essentra FZE Company Limited (“Essentra FZE”), a cigarette filter and tear tape manufacturer, for violation of the North Korea Sanctions Program. The violations...more
On July 16, 2020, Essentra FZE Co. Ltd., a manufacturer of components for cigarettes located in the United Arab Emirates, agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control...more
- On May 14, 2020, OFAC, the Department of State and the U.S. Coast Guard jointly released guidance for persons involved in the maritime industry regarding common deceptive shipping practices used to subvert U.S. and United...more
Indictment Again Highlights the Role of Correspondent Banking in Money Laundering - On May 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) unsealed a 50-page indictment against 28 North Korean and 5 Chinese bankers...more
Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) and sanctions matters continue to be a core focus of regulators, law enforcement agencies, policymakers and Congress, and the story of the Obama and Trump Administrations on...more
In this quarter, OFAC lifted sanctions on Rusal and other companies following divestment by Oleg Deripaska. Meanwhile, as Venezuela descends into economic and political crisis, the US targeted PdVSA and others to hasten...more