Last month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced a new cybersecurity information‑sharing initiative led by its Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection (OCCIP). The program is designed to give eligible U.S. digital asset firms access to the same actionable cyber‑threat information Treasury already provides to traditional financial institutions. According to Treasury, the effort
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued its first proposed rule under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, marking a key milestone in federal efforts to regulate payment stablecoins. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) outlines the principles Treasury will use to assess whether a state’s regulatory regime is
The prosecution of the developers behind Samourai Wallet illustrates how U.S. authorities are broadening their approach to privacy‑focused cryptocurrency tools. In April 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced charges against Keonne Rodriguez, Samourai’s chief executive, and William Lonergan Hill, its chief technology officer. The indictment alleged that Samourai
On November 6, 2025. Keonne Rodriguez, the co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixer Samourai Wallet, was sentenced for to 60 months in federal prison for the crime of conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business in violation of 18 U.S.C § 371. The two-count indictment, filed on February 14, 2024, alleged that Defendants Rodriguez and William
On October 15, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule under Section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act that prohibits U.S. financial institutions from conducting business with the Cambodia-based Huione Group, a financial services conglomerate based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Huione Group is the parent company of, or otherwise controls, several subsidiaries
In a closely watched and complicated case, Van Loon et al. v. Dep’t of the Treasury et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) cannot sanction Tornado Cash, “an open-source, crypto-transactions software protocol that facilitates anonymous transactions by obfuscating the origins and destinations of digital asset transfers.” The opinion, which reversed the ruling of the District Court, is here. A recording of the oral argument is here. The opinion is complex but written in a very clear style.
We previously blogged on OFAC’s designation of Tornado Cash (here) and the resulting civil suit (here). We also covered the indictment returned against the alleged developers of Tornado Cash, Roman Storm and Roman Semenov, who were charged with conspiring to commit money laundering, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, and violating sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA (here). The DOJ subsequently obtained a superseding indictment against Storm only (here); Storm’s trial currently is scheduled for April 2025). When the initial indictment was unsealed, Treasury simultaneously sanctioned Semenov, who remains outside the U.S., by adding him to OFAC’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (“SDN”) List.
These actions are a reminder that, putting aside the complex issues presented by the Fifth Circuit decision regarding OFAC’s (in)ability to sanction a technology, law enforcement and regulators still can pursue people for related alleged conduct. And, invariably, people are involved in a technology.
Continue Reading Fifth Circuit Rejects OFAC Designation of Tornado Cash Immutable Smart Contracts
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (the “Philly Fed”) recently executed an agreement (the “Agreement”) with Pennsylvania-based Customers Bank (and its Customers Bancorp, Inc. holding entity) (collectively, “Customers”). According to the Agreement, “the most recent examinations and inspections” of Customers by the Philly Fed identified “significant deficiencies” related to the bank’s risk management practices, Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (“BSA/AML”) compliance, and regulations issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”).
The source of these alleged deficiencies is alluded to by the Agreement, which immediately highlights two “digital assets-friendly” elements of Customers’ business model:
The Agreement calls for Customers to submit a number of plans to the Philly Fed by October 5, 2024, several of which explicitly require the Philly Fed’s approval.
Continue Reading Bank’s Digital Assets Business Strategy Draws Federal Reserve Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued its 2024 National Strategy for Combatting Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (“Strategy”). It is a 55-page document which, according to the government’s press release, “addresses the key risks from the 2024 National Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing Risk Assessments. . . and details how the United States will build on recent historic efforts to modernize the U.S. anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, enhance operational effectiveness in combating illicit actors, and embrace technological innovation to mitigate risks.”
The Strategy discusses an enormous list of topics. Given the breadth of its scope, the Strategy generally makes only very high-level comments regarding any particular topic. This post accordingly is extremely high level as well, and offers only a few select comments.
Continue Reading Treasury Issues Broad National Strategy for Combatting Illicit Financing
On April 20, 2024, the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (“DoBS”) issued a policy statement (“Policy Statement”) to “clarify” that the Department’s interpretation of the term “money” in the Pennsylvania Money Transmitter Act (“MTA”) includes “virtual currency, such as Bitcoin.” The MTA provides in part that “[n]o person shall engage in the business of transmitting money by means of a transmittal instrument for a fee or other consideration with or on behalf of an individual without first having obtained a license from the department.’”
Thus, the Policy Statement means that virtual currency exchangers and related businesses doing business in Pennsylvania must become licensed as money transmitters. The effective date of the Policy Statement is October 15, 2024. Neither the DoBS nor the MTA define “virtual currency.”
Continue Reading PA Department of Banking and Securities: Virtual Currency is “Money”
I am very pleased to co-chair again the Practicing Law Institute’s 2024 Anti-Money Laundering Conference on May 23, 2024, starting at 9 a.m. in New York City (the event also will be virtual).
I am also really fortunate to be working with my fabulous co-chair Elizabeth (Liz) Boison