Sally Yates of the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently issued a memorandum detailing the DOJ’s increased commitment to pursue individuals engaged in corporate wrongdoing. The memo will likely affect the manner in which companies conduct internal investigations and interact with government prosecutors. Companies should take their current D&O insurance policies into consideration, as this … Continue Reading
Investment advisers subject to SEC registration would be affected by proposed regulations from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The regulations, proposed in August 2015, would require such investment advisers to create anti-money laundering programs as well as to undertake reporting and recordkeeping responsibilities under the Bank Secrecy Act, including filing suspicious activity reports. For more … Continue Reading
Introduction Stephanie Booker, Associate Director for Enforcement, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) recently gave a speech at the Nevada Bar Association’s Bank Secrecy Act Conference in Las Vegas. Involved in the conference were the State Bar of Nevada’s Gaming Law Section, the American Gaming Association, and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ International Gaming Institute. FinCEN … Continue Reading
On June 15, multiple federal agencies issued a $4.5 million penalty against a local bank that admitted to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program. The coordinated enforcement action by multiple agencies and substantial monetary penalty illustrates the significant risks for anti-money laundering compliance for local financial institutions. The coordinated action was announced by … Continue Reading
On June 3, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a $75 million penalty against a Northern Mariana Islands casino for Bank Secrecy Act violations – the largest-ever FinCEN penalty assessed against a casino. FinCEN’s announcement follows an investigation of the casino, Hong Kong Entertainment (Overseas) Investments, Ltd., d/b/a Tinian Dynasty Hotel & … Continue Reading
On April 21, 2015, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) served a Geographic Targeting Order (GTO) on about 700 electronics exporter businesses in the Miami area as part of an investigation into cash transactions possibly tied to trade-based money-laundering schemes utilized by drug cartels. The GTO goes into effect April 28, 2015 and … Continue Reading
On March 10, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a $4.9 million settlement of criminal and civil charges against CommerceWest Bank (“CommerceWest” or the “Bank”) brought pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (“FIRREA”), and the Fraud Injunction Statute. The government alleged that, between December … Continue Reading
On February 27, 2015, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) announced a $1.5 million civil penalty against the First National Community Bank of Dunmore, Pennsylvania (“FNCB”), arising from FNCB’s admission that it violated the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) by failing to detect and report suspicious financial transactions. The penalty is concurrent with a $500,000 penalty … Continue Reading
As disclosed recently in a bankruptcy court filing, on January 27, 2015, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) imposed a $10 million civil money penalty pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”) on Trump Taj Mahal Associates LLC. Trump Taj Mahal consented to the imposition of the penalty (subject to the bankruptcy court’s approval) … Continue Reading
