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On Aug. 8, 2022, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed economic sanctions on Tornado Cash, a popular cryptocurrency mixing service that allows customers to obscure the original source of virtual currency transactions by “mixing” multiple transactions and then redistributing them. While mixing may have legitimate benefits in some transactions, it also may be exploited by criminals to potentially launder cryptocurrency, including crypto received in connection with ransomware attacks.

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Tags: cryptocurrency, economic sanctions, GT Insight, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), ransomware
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Photo of Kara M. Bombach Kara M. Bombach

Kara Bombach assists companies and organizations to lawfully export goods, technology and services around the globe. She places emphasis on helping clients achieve practical, workable solutions to complex regulatory situations arising under anti-corruption and anti-bribery measures (U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and

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Kara Bombach assists companies and organizations to lawfully export goods, technology and services around the globe. She places emphasis on helping clients achieve practical, workable solutions to complex regulatory situations arising under anti-corruption and anti-bribery measures (U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and OECD Convention), export control laws (EAR and ITAR), anti-boycott laws, and special sanctions (embargoes) maintained by the U.S. government (OFAC and other agencies) against various countries (including Iran, Cuba and Russia), entities and individuals. In cases of foreign investment in the United States, Kara advises on the Exon-Florio provisions relating to U.S. national security concerns. She represents companies before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and also assists clients in mitigating foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) as may be required by CFIUS or U.S. national industrial security regulations.

Kara regularly represents clients in matters before U.S. government agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, Treasury and Defense. Kara has significant experience representing individuals and entities before OFAC in delisting matters and challenges to OFAC sanctions designations.

She advises national and multi-national companies (including Fortune® 5) on best practices in the development and delivery of compliance policies and procedures, training, and risk assessments, as well as executing cross-border export, sanctions and anti-corruption due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, targeted internal risk assessments, and compliance investigations.

Kara also counsels international not-for-profit and relief/aid organizations on best practices in economic sanctions, trade, and anti-corruption compliance issues that arise in their global operations, frequently in challenging and austere environments. She has provided legal services to organizations such as Save the Children (US), ONE Campaign, Mercy Corps, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Not on Our Watch/The Sentry, and The Enough Project.

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Photo of Kyle R. Freeny Kyle R. Freeny

Kyle R. Freeny, a skilled trial attorney and former federal prosecutor for the Special Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), draws on more than a dozen years of high-profile experience in the federal government to

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Kyle R. Freeny, a skilled trial attorney and former federal prosecutor for the Special Counsel’s Office and the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS), draws on more than a dozen years of high-profile experience in the federal government to help clients navigate sensitive government and internal investigations, criminal and civil enforcement matters, and related complex litigation. She has particular experience in matters involving complex financial crime, cross-border investigations, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, asset forfeiture, and affirmative challenges to federal agency action.

While at the Department of Justice, Kyle also played a key role in major international money laundering and corruption matters, including important matters involving the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Kyle also has considerable experience handling sensitive and complex cross-border issues in transnational financial cases, and she was responsible for the largest civil asset forfeiture recovery in DOJ history.

Kyle uses this deep experience in federal law enforcement to counsel clients facing scrutiny from DOJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and other law enforcement and financial regulatory agencies. Kyle conducts internal investigations on a range of issues and advises clients on a wide array of anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, and other compliance issues.

Kyle also helps clients develop and litigate challenges to federal regulations, policies, and agency decisions across a range of industries, drawing on her years of prior experience at DOJ representing a cross-section of federal agencies —from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to the Department of Energy to the Department of State and various intelligence agencies—in high-profile litigation. She has appeared before federal trial courts across the country.

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Photo of David I. Miller David I. Miller

David I. Miller, an experienced trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor, focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, securities and commodities enforcement, related complex civil litigation, and cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, anti-money laundering, and national security matters. Previously, David served…

David I. Miller, an experienced trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor, focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, securities and commodities enforcement, related complex civil litigation, and cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, anti-money laundering, and national security matters. Previously, David served for five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.), over half that time as a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. He also served as a terrorism prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, as an Assistant General Counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency, and as a white-collar, securities, and commercial litigation attorney in private practice. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, David was a partner at another global law firm.

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Photo of Marina Olman-Pal Marina Olman-Pal

Marina Olman-Pal, Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial, Regulatory & Compliance Practice, advises foreign and U.S. financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory matters including licensing, acquisitions, divestitures, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) laws and regulations, and compliance with Office…

Marina Olman-Pal, Co-Chair of the firm’s Financial, Regulatory & Compliance Practice, advises foreign and U.S. financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory matters including licensing, acquisitions, divestitures, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)/anti-money laundering (AML) laws and regulations, and compliance with Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions programs. Marina counsels a wide range of companies in the financial services sector including, domestic and foreign banks, gaming companies, money services businesses including money transmitters, cryptocurrency businesses, Fintech companies and digital payment companies. Throughout her career, Marina has represented clients before U.S. regulators such as the Federal Reserve, OCC, FDIC, FinCEN, OFAC, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and other state supervisory authorities. Marina also regularly develops anti-money laundering programs for a wide range of financial services businesses and non-financial services businesses including, U.S. and foreign companies active in industries such as real estate, hospitality, automotive and artificial intelligence, among many others.

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Photo of Jena M. Valdetero Jena M. Valdetero

Jena M. Valdetero serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s U.S. Data, Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice where she advises clients on complex data privacy and security issues. She has led more than 1,000 data breach investigations. A litigator by background, Jena defends companies against…

Jena M. Valdetero serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s U.S. Data, Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice where she advises clients on complex data privacy and security issues. She has led more than 1,000 data breach investigations. A litigator by background, Jena defends companies against privacy and data breach litigation, with an emphasis on class action lawsuits. She has designed and conducted dozens of data breach tabletop exercises to empower clients to respond effectively to a data security incident. She also counsels companies on data privacy and security compliance programs and advises on privacy and cyber risks associated with mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and securities. Jena also advises a diverse array of clients on compliance with existing and emerging privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). She is a certified privacy professional through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (CIPP/US), for which she is a former KnowledgeNet Co-Chair.

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