A Houston-based subsidiary of oilfield services company Schlumberger has been fined approximately $1.4 million by the Office of Foreign Assets Control for selling goods to a Russian-based energy firm that was under U.S. sanctions.
Sanctions
Treasury sanctions virtual currency exchange as part of ransomware response
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced “robust actions” to counter ransomware, including blocking the assets of a Russian virtual currency exchange that has facilitated payments for at least eight ransomware variants.
Nord Stream 2 a study in sanctions complexity
The construction of Nord Stream 2 and the accompanying geopolitics at play illustrate how difficult it can be for compliance to respond to evolving sanctions risks.
NewTek fined $189K over Iran sanctions violations
NewTek, a Texas-based company that develops 3D animation hardware and software, has agreed to pay $189,483 to settle OFAC allegations it knowingly violated U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Romanian bank penalized over Iran and Syria sanctions lapses
The Office of Foreign Assets Control fined Romania-based First Bank and its U.S. parent company JC Flowers & Co. $862,318 as part of a settlement for First Bank’s processing of transactions in apparent violation of Iran and Syria sanctions.
OFAC fines Bank of China $2.3M for Sudan sanctions violations
The Office of Foreign Assets Control announced Bank of China’s U.K. arm agreed to pay $2.3 million to settle its potential civil liability for processing transactions in apparent violation of now-repealed Sudan sanctions regulations.
Pandemic not slowing rising AML fine totals, report says
Kroll’s latest annual enforcement review identified $2.2 billion in AML fines in 2020 compared to $444 million in 2019. The first six months of 2021 indicate a similar pace to last year.
OFAC fines Payoneer $1.4M for sanctions violations
Money transfer services company Payoneer will pay $1.4 million to resolve 2,260 apparent violations of U.S. sanctions in a settlement with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Alfa Laval subsidiaries fined $430K for Iran sanctions violations
Dubai and U.S. subsidiaries of Swedish manufacturer Alfa Laval will settle OFAC charges they violated U.S. sanctions when they shipped storage tank cleaning units to an Iranian company.
OFAC bills Bulgarian sanctions as ‘single largest action targeting corruption’
Calling it the “single largest action targeting corruption to date,” the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned three prominent Bulgarian individuals along with their network of 64 companies for their “extensive roles” in corruption in Bulgaria.
