The Power and Breadth of U.S. Money Laundering Laws
U.S. money laundering laws have extraordinary reach. They cover virtually all financial transactions over $10,000 involving criminal proceeds, regardless of intent to conceal. The Bank Secrecy Act adds substantial compliance requirements for financial institutions. Banks, broker-dealers, and even casinos must implement anti-money laundering programs and file Suspicious Activity Reports.
The DOJ’s Criminal Division (particularly its) Money Laundering Asset Recovery Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices lead criminal investigations. The Treasury Department’s FinCEN manages civil enforcement of BSA violations.
Heightened Enforcement Climate
Federal prosecutors aggressively leverage these broad authorities. The current administration is expected to focus on money laundering statutes and BSA enforcement to target transactions linked to cartels, terrorist groups, and transnational criminal networks.
Money Laundering Enforcement Is A Specialty
Treanor Devlin Brown brings unique perspective to these matters. Our founding partners led major money laundering investigations at the DOJ, including a $1.7 billion enforcement action against a global financial institution for failures related to the Madoff Ponzi scheme.
We’ve also represented financial institutions, law firm partners, and individuals in money laundering investigations and prosecutions. This dual perspective—having both built and defended such cases—provides our clients with strategic insights that few firms can match.