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Jamie Schafer represents both corporations and individuals in complex U.S. and cross-border criminal and regulatory matters.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), on August 8, 2022, sanctioned virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash. OFAC alleged that it had been “used to launder more than $7 billion worth of virtual currency since its creation in 2019 [, including] over $455 million stolen by the Lazarus Group[,]” a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) state-sponsored hacking group that OFAC identified for sanctions in 2019, in what the agency characterized as the largest known virtual currency heist to date.[1]Continue Reading OFAC Takes Action Against Virtual Currency Tornado Cash in Novel Application of Sanctions Authorities

On October 15, 2021, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released guidance on sanctions compliance for the digital currency industry, the agency’s most detailed statement to date on its expectations for participants in this rapidly growing industry. This guidance expands on the five pillars of OFAC’s 2019 Framework by

Agency’s Focus on Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Continues

On September 21, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released an updated advisory to “highlight the sanctions risks associated with ransomware payments”—almost one year after issuing the first such guidance—and simultaneously imposed sanctions on SUEX, a virtual currency exchange accused

The AMLA 2020 includes sweeping reforms updating and modernizing U.S. anti-money laundering laws, many of which have implications beyond financial institutions regulated under the Bank Secrecy Act.

This multipart series will discuss key takeaways, including (1) new corporate beneficial ownership disclosure requirements; (2) enhanced whistleblower program; (3) expanded subpoena authority over foreign financial institutions accessing