Illicit Finance | Certain Risk

A photo of a Bank of Scotland branch in Halifax — “Bank of Scotland Halifax” — Secret Pilgrim, via Flickr — CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/) — Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/umdrums/2828957108 — Edited from the original.

Bank of Scotland Fined £160,000 for Failing to Flag Blacklisted Putin Ally

The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has levied a £160,000 monetary penalty on Lloyds Banking Group for violations of Russia sanctions made by its subsidiary Bank of Scotland Plc.

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Nine Ships in Response to Iran Crackdown

The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday blacklisted nine ships and their owners in response to Iran’s ongoing crackdown on protestors, including Tehran’s decision to shut down internet access within the country.

Groundbreaking ceremony of a new hanger at the Pleasanton Airport in Pleasanton Texas, on May 28, 2025. The Master of Ceremonies is Ernie Gonzalez, Jr., and the speakers include Pleasanton City Manager Johnny Huizar, Pleasanton Airport Director J.J. Roberts, Cope Engineering Vice President Brian M. Cope, P.E., U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Community Programs Director in Texas Michael Canales, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Pleasanton Mayor J.R. Gallegos. After speaking they took part in the groundbreaking ceremony. In 2022 U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $1,061,000 in federal funding for the construction of two additional hangars at the Pleasanton Municipal Airport. The hangars will meet the growing aviation storage demand required by recreational and commercial customers as well as providing storage space for the local Air Life helicopter's support teams. Congressman Henry Cuellar said “Investments into rural communities and local infrastructure projects like these have far-reaching economic impacts and benefits. I applaud the City of Pleasanton and its leadership for taking advantage of the available federal funding opportunities and I look forward to continue working with them.” “We are very excited about this new addition to the city’s airport,” said Pleasanton City Manager Johnny Huizar. “These new airport hangars will fund themselves with revenue generated from aircraft lease fees.” The financed amount was later increased by $656,000 for a current total of $1,717,000. The funds were awarded through the United States Department of Agriculture’s USDA's Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. More than 100 types of projects are eligible for Community Facilities funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities, public bodies, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized Native American tribes. Projects must be in rural areas. USDA Media by Lance Cheung.

Brother of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar Hit with Federal Fraud Charges

A Texas sheriff who is the brother of U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar is facing federal fraud charges following allegations that he ran a fraudulent business using public funds and staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, The Texas Tribune reported.

Photo of James Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, JPMorgan Chase at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 23, 2013. — “The Global Financial Context: James Dimon” — World Economic Forum / swiss-image.ch (Photo: Remy Steinegger), licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Global_Financial_Context_James_Dimon.jpg License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ Changes: none

Trump Sues JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon over Alleged ‘Woke’ Debanking

President Donald Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon on Thursday, alleging the bank closed his and related entities’ accounts for political reasons following the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol, CNBC reported.

Jack Zhang, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Airwallex, Australia speaking in the Start-Ups in Austerity session at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 20 January. Congress Centre — Jack Zhang, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Airwallex, Attribution (CC-compliant): “World Economic Forum Annual Meeting” by World Economic Forum (credit: World Economic Forum/Sikarin Fon Thanachaiary), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 2.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Airwallex Faces AML Audit over Concerns of Child Sex Abuse Funding

Australia’s financial intelligence unit has ordered Singapore-based Airwallex to review whether the payments giant has violated the nation’s anti-money laundering (AML) laws.

Photo of anti-Hamas protestors in Manchester, UK as British hostage Emily Damari arrives in Israel.

OFAC Levies Sanctions on Hamas-Linked Charities

The U.S. is targeting Hamas’ covert support network, including six Gaza-based nonprofits that purportedly masquerade as medical charities while supporting the Palestinian group’s militant wing.

Photo of Nelson Tanure standing in front of a bookcase. — Marco Antonio Lima Santos (2022-01-26). “Tanure.am4 (1 de 1).png.” Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted from the original (edits: [briefly describe your changes]). Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tanure.am4_(1_de_1).png License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Brazil Justice Freezes Nelson Tanure’s Assets in Banco Master Investigation

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the assets of veteran entrepreneur Nelson Tanure to be frozen as part of an investigation into failed lender Banco Master SA, according to a January 6th decision seen by Bloomberg.

U.S. Virgin Islands, Department of Justice, Sexual Offender Registry Photograph of Jeffrey Epstein, edited

Senator Seeks Info on $378mn in BNY Wire Transfers Tied to Epstein

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is pressing Bank of New York Mellon Corp. for details about $378 million in wire transfers the bank processed involving accounts linked to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Bloomberg report.

Photograph of Yulia Tymoshenko, former president of Ukraine — “Зустріч Зеленського з керівництвом ВРУ, 1.jpg” (May 21, 2019) by President.gov.ua, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

Ukraine Charges Former PM Tymoshenko with Soliciting Bribes

Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have charged former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko with allegedly offering bribes to lawmakers from other parties in exchange for parliamentary votes, according to OCCRP.

A photograph of a mural in Venezuela that reads "Chavez y Maduro X siempre"

Despite U.S. Push, Compliance Risks Remain Deterrent for Firms in Venezuela

President Donald Trump’s apparent green light for doing business in Venezuela is unlikely to prompt a rush of corporate investment, even if U.S. sanctions are rolled back, according to recent reporting by Dow Jones Risk Journal.