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OFAC sanctions Iranian cyber threat group
On September 17, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned an Iranian cyber threat group, 45 associated individuals, and one additional “front company” for allegedly being involved in a Government of Iran (GOI) malware campaign targeting international travel companies, Iranian dissidents, and journalists. Specifically, OFAC alleges that the front company “advances Iranian national security objectives and the strategic goals of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) by conducting computer intrusions and malware campaigns against perceived adversaries.” OFAC asserts that the 45 individuals provided support for MOIS cyber intrusions by serving as managers, programmers, and hacking experts. The front company has allegedly targeted hundreds of individuals and entities from more than 30 different countries, including using “malicious cyber intrusion tools” to target approximately 15 U.S. companies primarily in the travel sector.
As a result, all property and interests in property belonging to, or owned by, the identified individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and “any entities 50 percent or more owned by one or more designated persons are also blocked.” U.S. persons are also generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the designated individuals.
The FBI also issued a Public Intelligence Alert on the Iranian cyber threat group.
OFAC settles with telecommunications company over sanctions violations
On September 17, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $894,111 settlement with a New York-based telecommunications systems and software company for four apparent violations of the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations (SSR). According to OFAC’s web notice, between June 2014 and October 2015, the company—through its wholly owned subsidiary—allegedly “indirectly exported warrantied satellite equipment and facilitated services and training to a government-owned entity in Sudan” in apparent violation of the SSR. Among other things, OFAC noted that the company and its subsidiary knew that the end-user of the equipment and services was the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), but the companies still organized the shipment of equipment through a Canadian company despite receiving multiple warnings about OFAC’s export restrictions for Sudan. Once it became known that the SCAA was the ultimate end-user, OFAC contended that the subsidiary’s former Director of Logistics and Export Compliance Official allegedly “attempted to transfer OFAC compliance obligations from [the subsidiary] to the Canadian [c]ompany.” Additionally, OFAC denied the subsidiary’s license application to provide certain warranty services.
In arriving at the settlement amount, OFAC considered various aggravating factors, including that (i) the subsidiary “demonstrated reckless disregard for U.S. sanctions requirements and failed to exercise a minimal degree of caution or care by approving warranty services for equipment provided to SCAA while an OFAC license was still pending”; (ii) the subsidiary did not heed warning signs indicating the transactions could have led to the apparent violations; and (iii) the subsidiary’s explanations in response to OFAC subpoenas and a request for information were inconsistent, which required OFAC expending “significant additional time and resources” building an accurate record of the apparent violations. OFAC also considered that it had not issued a violation against the company or its subsidiary in the five years preceding the earliest transaction at issue.
OFAC sanctions Hizballah-associated Lebanon-based companies
On September 17, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13224 against two Lebanon-based companies for being owned, controlled, or directed by Hizballah. According to OFAC, the two companies are leveraged by Hizballah “to conceal money transfers to Hizballah’s own accounts,” which “further enrich[es] Hizballah’s leadership and supporters, and depriv[es] the Lebanese people of much-needed funds.” These sanctions are part of Treasury’s continuing efforts to disrupt the full range of Hizballah’s illicit financial activity. Since 2017, OFAC has designated more than 90 Hizballah-affiliated individuals and entities. As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the individuals, “and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.” OFAC noted that its regulations “generally prohibit” U.S. persons from participating in transactions with the designated individuals, including “the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods or services from any such person.” OFAC further warned that engaging in certain transactions with the designated individuals subjects persons to the risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to E.O. 13224 and the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations, which implement the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015. Furthermore, OFAC noted that it has the authority to “prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for a terrorist group like Hizballah, or a person acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by, [a Specially Designated Global Terrorist] such as Hizballah.”
OFAC sanctions Russian cybercriminals for $16.8 million crypto scam
On September 16, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Russian nationals who were allegedly involved in phishing campaigns targeting virtual asset service providers in 2017 and 2018, resulting in losses of at least $16.8 million. Specifically, the Russian nationals spoofed web domains of legitimate virtual currency exchanges to steal customers’ login information and gain access to their real accounts. According to OFAC, they used a “variety of methods to exfiltrate their ill-gotten virtual currency” and subsequently laundered the money to a personal account, attempting to “conceal the nature and source of the funds by transferring them in a layered and sophisticated manner through multiple accounts and multiple virtual currency blockchains.” OFAC designated the individuals pursuant to Executive Order 13694, which targets “malicious cyber-enabled activities, including those related to the significant misappropriation of funds or personal identifiers for private financial gain.”
OFAC emphasized that anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism regimes “pose a critical chokepoint in countering and deterring” this type of cybercriminal activity. As a result, all property and interests in property belonging to the designated individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and “U.S. persons generally are prohibited from dealing with them.”
OFAC sanctions Russia-linked individuals for interfering in elections
On September 10, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced its decision to sanction four Russia-linked individuals for allegedly attempting to influence the U.S. electoral process. According to OFAC, these designations are intended to “promot[e] accountability for Kremlin-linked individuals seeking to undermine confidence in U.S. democratic processes.” Three of the designated individuals are employed by the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian “troll factory,” which was previously designated by OFAC along with its Russian financier, for providing material support to IRA activities. The three designated individuals allegedly supported the IRA’s cryptocurrency accounts, which OFAC claimed are used to “fund activities in furtherance of their ongoing malign influence operations around the world.” As a result, all property and interests in property belonging to, or owned by, the identified individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and “any entities 50 percent or more owned by one or more designated persons are also blocked.” U.S. persons are also generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the designated individuals.
OFAC reaches $583,000 settlement to resolve Ukrainian sanctions violations
On September 9, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced two settlements totaling $583,100 with the U.S.-based subsidiary of a global financial institution for apparent violations of the Ukraine-Related Sanctions Regulations. According to OFAC, the financial institution allegedly agreed to process a funds transfer exceeding $28 million through the U.S. related to a series of purchases of fuel oil involving a property interest of an oil company in Cyprus that was previously designated by OFAC. OFAC alleged that at the time the payment was processed, the bank “had reason to know of the designated oil company’s potential interest, but did not conduct sufficient due diligence to determine whether the designated oil company’s interest in the payment had been extinguished.” The bank agreed to pay $157,500 to resolve the apparent violation.
Additionally, OFAC stated the bank also agreed to separately remit $425,600 for apparent violations stemming from the processing of 61 transactions “destined for accounts at a designated financial institution.” The bank allegedly failed to stop these payments because its sanctions screening tool did not include a specific business identifier code assigned to the designated financial institution, OFAC claimed, and its screening tool “was calibrated so that only an exact match to a designated entity would trigger further manual review.”
In arriving at the settlement amount, OFAC considered various mitigating factors, including that (i) the apparent violations were non-egregious; (ii) the bank had in place “an OFAC compliance program at the time of the apparent violations”; and (iii) the bank has undertaken remedial efforts to address the deficiencies, including reviewing the circumstances of the apparent violations with its U.S. sanctions compliance unit, and agreeing to conduct additional training and implement changes to internal procedures as necessary.
OFAC also considered various aggravating factors, including that “several senior managers within the bank’s anti-financial crime division, as well as a representative from its counsel’s office, failed to exercise a minimal degree of caution or care in connection with the conduct that led to the apparent violation,” and had actual knowledge of the alleged conduct.
OFAC sanctions Hizballah-associated former Lebanese ministers
On September 8, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 against two former Lebanese government ministers who allegedly “provided material support to Hizballah and engaged in corruption.” According to OFAC, the sanctions are part of Treasury’s continuing effort to “prioritize disruption of the full range of Hizballah’s illicit financial activity,” which has designated over 90 Hizballah-affiliated persons since 2017. As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the individuals, “and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.” OFAC noted that its regulations “generally prohibit” U.S. persons from participating in transactions with the designated individuals, including “the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods or services from any such person.” OFAC further warned that engaging in certain transactions with the designated individuals subjects persons to the risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to E.O. 13224 and the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations, which implement the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015. Furthermore, OFAC noted that it has the authority to “prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for a terrorist group like Hizballah, or a person acting on behalf of or at the direction of, or owned or controlled by, [a Specially Designated Global Terrorist] such as Hizballah.”
Treasury, Delaware sign MOU to strengthen sanctions-related information sharing
On September 2, the U.S. Treasury Department and the State of Delaware announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) intended to foster cooperative efforts to “shut down or otherwise disrupt the illicit activities of entities that should not be operating in the United States.” Under the MOU, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Delaware’s Department of Justice will communicate frequently and meet as needed to identify and shut down entities on OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) or that are otherwise blocked. The MOU is intended, among other things, to (i) promote certain U.S. economic sanctions-related information sharing and facilitate coordinated investigations; (ii) foster cooperative efforts to “heighten awareness of U.S. economic sanctions within both the Delaware business community and the general public” and “protect national security by promoting compliance with U.S. trade and economic sanctions laws”; (iii) support litigation against entities identified on the SDN List; (iv) “[i]mprove transparency into corporate structures used to disguise illicit business dealings”; and (v) “[p]revent abuse of U.S. companies by criminal and terrorist organizations, corrupt individuals, and other blocked persons through cancellation of entities or imposition of OFAC penalties.”
OFAC sanctions officials for supporting Maduro regime
On September 4, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions pursuant to Executive Order 13692 against four current or former Venezuelan government officials for allegedly facilitating “the illegitimate Maduro regime’s efforts to undermine the independence and democratic order of Venezuela,” and for engaging in a scheme to, among other things, “control[ ] the state’s wealth and assets for regime purposes.” As a result, all property and interests in property belonging to the identified individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Additionally, “any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by the designated individuals are also blocked.” OFAC further noted that U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons.
OFAC sanctions entities for providing support to Iranian petrochemical company
On September 3, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated six entities, pursuant to Executive Order 13846, for allegedly providing support to a petrochemical company previously designated for “transfer[ing] the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of exports from the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which helps to finance Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its terrorist proxies.” According to OFAC, the designated entities “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of” the sanctioned petrochemical company by, among other things, (i) selling and purchasing thousands of tons of petrochemicals on behalf of the company; (ii) brokering the sales of petrochemicals for the company; (iii) facilitating the shipment and resale of petrochemical products for the company; and (iv) processing millions of dollars in proceeds of petrochemical sales.
As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property of the designated persons that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC further warned foreign financial institutions that knowingly facilitating significant transactions or providing significant support to the designated entities may subject them to sanctions and could sever access to the U.S. financial system.