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Four Businessmen and Two Mexican Government Officials Plead Guilty in Aircraft Maintenance Bribery Scheme
On December 27, the DOJ announced the unsealing of charges against four businessmen and two Mexican officials involved in a scheme to secure aircraft maintenance and repair contracts with Mexican government-owned companies. The four businessmen all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA, with two of the businessmen separately pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Additionally, both former officials with Mexican state-owned companies each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to the DOJ, the defendants admitted that between 2006 and 2016, millions of dollars were paid to numerous Mexican government officials to secure aircraft parts and servicing contracts with Mexican government-owned companies. The defendants also admitted to laundering the proceeds of the bribery scheme. In total, the four businessmen paid more than $2 million in bribes to Mexican officials, including the two former officials.
One of the former officials was sentenced in May to 15 months in prison; the remaining defendants have yet to be sentenced.
House Terror Financing Task Force Releases Results of Two-Year Investigation
On December 20, the House Financial Services Committee’s Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing announced the release of a report detailing the results of its two-year investigation into terror financing. The report, entitled Stopping Terror Finance: Securing the U.S. Financial Sector, is intended to “serve as a useful summary of the key points illuminated by Task Force hearings regarding the terrorist financing threat, the necessary components of an effective strategy to address such financing activity, and current efforts to combat it.
Among other things, the Task Force took a more granular look at some less well-publicized terrorist financing methodologies, including: (i) the use of trade-based money laundering; (ii) the use of individual and corporate charitable foundations; (iii) the plundering of arts and antiquities by terrorists, especially by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); and even (iv) drug trafficking.
Moreover, as explained by Task Force Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Penn), the task force “discovered highly critical vulnerabilities” for which it presented several recommendations and called for further Congressional attention. Among other things, the report highlighted a need for:
- Better interagency coordination and resource allocation;
- Better use of and access to information that can identify illicit finance;
- Adding more overseas Treasury attachés;
- Continued attention to helping developing countries fight illicit finance;
- A greater domestic and international focus on stopping trade-based money laundering;
- Development of a harmonized regulatory and examination procedure for nonbank financial institutions – primarily money service businesses (MSB) but also emerging value transfer technologies – to squeeze out illicit finance and provide banks the comfort necessary for them to again widely offer MSB retail account services;
- Development of a whole-of-government strategy to combat terror finance and other forms of financial crimes; Beneficial ownership of corporate entities; and
- Re-animation of the interagency Terrorist Financing Working Group.
Notably, members of the Task Force have already introduced several bipartisan bills aimed at addressing some of the concerns identified in the report, including:
- H.R. 5594, the “National Strategy for Combating Terrorists, Underground, and Other Illicit Financing Act,” which passed the House on July 11, 2016 by voice vote, and requires the President, acting through the Treasury Secretary, to develop and publish an annual whole-of-government strategy to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
- H.R. 5602, which passed the House on July 11, 2016 by a vote of 356-47, requiring more detailed information to be reported to the Treasury regarding certain types of transactions in a specific area for a limited amount of time.
- H.R. 5607, the “Enhancing Treasury’s Anti-Terror Tools Act,” which passed the House on July 11, 2016 by a vote of 362-45, enhancing Treasury’s anti-illicit finance tools by addressing issues that came up repeatedly in Task Force Hearings.
- H.R. 5603, the “Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Act,” which is sponsored by Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA), and seeks to establish a reward program aimed at helping the U.S. identify, freeze, and, if appropriate, repatriate assets linked to foreign government corruption, which is often an enabler of terrorism.
- H.R. 5606, the “Anti-Terrorism Information Sharing Is Truth Act,” which is sponsored by Task Force Vice Chairman Pittenger (R-NC) and which seeks to refine “safe harbors” for the sharing of anti-terror information, reaffirming Congressional intent in existing statute to encourage government sharing of terror methodologies with banks to help them better recognize such activity.
FinCEN Penalizes New York Credit Union for Failure to Manage High-Risk International Financial Activity
On December 14, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that it had assessed a $500,000 civil money penalty against a federally-chartered, low-income designated, community development credit union, for “significant violations” of anti-money laundering regulations. According to FinCEN, the credit union had historically maintained an AML program designed to address risks stemming from its designated field of membership in New York, NY. However, in 2011, the credit union began providing banking services to many wholesale, commercial money services business, some of which were located in high risk jurisdictions or engaged in high risk activities, without taking steps to update its AML program. As a result, the credit union was unable to detect and report suspicious activity and was left particularly vulnerable to money laundering.
NYDFS Fines Italian Bank $235 Million for Repeated Violations of BSA/AML Laws
On December 14 the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) announced the imposition of a $235 million fine against an Italian bank and its New York branch as part of a consent order addressing “significant violations of New York Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) laws.” According to the consent order, a NYDFS investigation identified “compliance failures . . . arising from deficiencies in the implementation and oversight of the transaction monitoring system located at the New York Branch,” as well as “non-transparent practices to process payments on behalf of Iranian clients” and “shell company activity indicative of potentially suspicious transactions” and a general “breakdown in audit and management oversight.” The consent order findings stipulate that the wrongdoing dated back to 2002, but also acknowledge that the Bank made the decision to discontinue certain of its non-transparent practices in 2006. In addition to a civil monetary penalty, the consent order also requires that the bank continue to engage an independent consultant to help “remediate the identified shortcomings,” “audit the Bank’s transaction review efforts”, and submit a report of its findings, conclusions and recommendations within 60 days. Thereafter, the Bank must submit, in writing for NYDFS review, across-the-board enhancements to its internal control policies and procedures.
New Zealand Ministry of Justice Releases Draft AML/CFT Legislation
On December 13, New Zealand’s Ministry of Justice announced the release of an Exposure Draft of an Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Funding of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Bill, which will implement certain across-the-board changes to New Zealand’s AML/CFT regulatory scheme. The draft legislation, as categorized by the Ministry of Justice, will extend the AML/CFT laws to cover lawyers, conveyancers, real estate agents, accountants, additional gambling operators, and certain businesses that trade in high-value goods such as cars, boats, jewelry, bullion, art, and antiquities, based on risks on these entities being targeted for money laundering. The proposed changes aim to, among other things, harmonize New Zealand’s AML regime with international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force. The Ministry is accepting comments on the proposed legislation through January 27, 2017.
FINRA Fines Credit Suisse over Anti-Money Laundering Policies
In a December 5 press release, FINRA announced that it has fined Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC $16.5 million for anti-money laundering (AML), supervision and other violations. FINRA’s determination and penalty were based primarily on two deficiencies in the investment bank’s suspicious activity monitoring program. First, Credit Suisse relied too heavily on its registered representatives “to identify and escalate potentially suspicious trading, when, in practice, such high-risk activity was not always escalated and investigated, as required.” And, second, FINRA found that the firm failed to properly implement its automated surveillance system to monitor for potentially suspicious money movements.
FinCEN Issues Advisory and Supplemental FAQs on Cyber-Events and Cyber-Enabled Crime
On October 25, FinCEN issued advisory bulletin FIN-2016-A005 reminding financial institutions of their Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) obligations to report certain cyber-events and cyber-enabled crime. The advisory highlights the importance of (i) reporting cyber-events and cyber-enabled crime through Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs); (ii) including cyber-related information such as IP addresses with timestamps, virtual-wallet information, device identifiers, and cyber-event information, in SAR reporting; (iii) collaborating with BSA/AML, cybersecurity, and other in-house units to facilitate “a more comprehensive threat assessment and develop appropriate risk management strategies to identify, report, and mitigate cyber-events and cyber-enabled crime”; and (iv) sharing cyber-related information – including specific malware signatures, IP addresses and device identifiers, and virtual currency addresses that seem anonymous – amongst financial institutions for the “purpose of identifying and, where appropriate, reporting money laundering or terrorist activities.” Importantly, the advisory distinguishes between mandatory SAR reporting of cyber-events, providing three specific examples, and voluntary reporting of cyber-events. Per the advisory, “[c]yber-events targeting financial institutions that could affect a transaction or series of transactions would be reportable as suspicious transactions because they are unauthorized, relevant to a possible violation of law or regulation, and regularly involve efforts to acquire funds through illegal activities.”
FinCEN simultaneously issued FAQs to supplement advisory bulletin FIN-2016-A005. The FAQs, which supersede 2001 FAQs regarding computer intrusion, provide answers to a set of nine questions. The FAQs address, among other things, (i) when cyber-related SAR reports should be filed; (ii) the type of information that should be included in cyber-related SARs; and (iii) cyber-event and cyber-enabled crime information sharing, pursuant to Section 314(b) of the USA PATRIOT Act, between financial institutions.
FinCEN Assesses Civil Money Penalty Against Nevada-Based Casino for BSA/AML Violations
On October 3, FinCEN assessed a $12 million civil money penalty against a Nevada-based casino for willfully violating the anti-money laundering (AML) provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Pursuant to the Statement of Facts, from March 2009 through September 28, 2015, the casino allegedly failed to (i) develop and implement an effective AML program reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the BSA; (ii) exercise due diligence in its monitoring of suspicious activity; and (iii) maintain sufficient AML compliance controls, procedures, training, and audits, which resulted in multiple filing and recordkeeping control violations. As part of the FinCEN’s Assessment and the Non-Prosecution Agreement filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Officers, the casino must (i) perform a series of required Remedial Measures to ensure compliance going forward; and (ii) conduct a look-back review to ensure that suspicious transactions and attempted transactions were appropriately reported for transactions that occurred between 2010 and 2013.
FinCEN Acting Director Comments on Recent Casino Actions and Culture of Compliance
On October 3, FinCEN Acting Director Jamal El-Hindi issued a statement regarding anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism compliance. According to Acting Director El-Hindi, two recent actions against casinos represent failure to (i) adequately train staff at every level in the organization; and (ii) properly file - or file at all – Suspicious Activity Reports and Currency Transaction Reports. Still, Acting Director El-Hindi acknowledged that casinos in general have improved their AML compliance efforts. Acting Director El-Hindi stated that FinCEN will continue to work with casinos on their compliance efforts, and cautioned that “[a] good compliance culture is one where doing the right thing is rewarded, and where ‘looking the other way’ has consequences.”
Special Alert: OCC to Issue Guidance on "De-Risking" in Foreign Correspondent Banking Relationships
On September 28, 2016 OCC Comptroller Thomas J. Curry announced during a speech at the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS) conference that the OCC is developing guidance around “de-risking” in foreign correspondent banking relationships. Following the joint fact sheet published by the federal banking agencies and the Department of Treasury, Comptroller Curry said that it will issue “guidance that reiterates our risk management expectations for banks to establish and follow policies and procedures for regularly conducting risk evaluations of their foreign correspondent portfolios.” The guidance will describe “best practices” that the OCC has observed that banks can use when “re-evaluating their risks and making decisions about retaining or terminating foreign correspondent accounts.”
Click here to view the full Special Alert
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Questions regarding the matters discussed in this Alert may be directed to any of our lawyers listed below, or to any other BuckleySandler attorney with whom you have consulted in the past.
- James T. Parkinson, (202) 349-7955
- Benjamin Hutten, (212) 600-2333