The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned 29 ships and their management companies, which it said are operating as part of Iran's shadow fleet and helping the country transport petroleum and petroleum products through "deceptive shipping practices." They have helped Iran move hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petroleum, OFAC said.
Claire O'Neill McCleskey and Claire Grunewald, two former sanctions officials with the Office of Foreign Assets Control, have launched sanctions consulting firm Clarity Compliance Consulting, they announced on LinkedIn. O'Neill McCleskey previously served as head of OFAC's compliance division before leaving in October, and Grunewald was an OFAC sanctions compliance officer before leaving in September.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week renewed two Russia-related general licenses that authorize certain transactions related to crude oil originating from the Sakhalin-2 project and certain transactions with Russian entities related to civil nuclear energy.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned Mexico-based Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima and its leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, saying it's in a "violent conflict" with Cartel Jalisco Nuevo Generacion for control of fuel in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The cartel also participates in an energy black market that undermines legitimate U.S. oil and natural gas companies, the U.S. said, and is involved in trafficking heroin into the country. The Treasury Department said Yepez Ortiz was arrested by Mexican authorities in 2022 and sentenced to 60 years in prison, but he continues to be "active" in the cartel, including by sending instructions and orders through lawyers and family members.
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A U.S. cryptocurrency trading software company this week agreed to pay more than $3 million to resolve allegations that it helped customers in Iran illegally access digital asset exchanges by suggesting they use virtual private networks to hide their location, violating U.S. sanctions.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control last week removed sanctions from Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes; his wife, Viviane Barci de Moraes; and the Brazil-based Lex Institute, which his wife leads. OFAC sanctioned the judge and Lex earlier this year after accusing him of using his position to "authorize arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppress freedom of expression."
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week sanctioned several people, companies and ships connected to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the country's shipping and energy sectors.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week extended a Russia-related general license that authorizes certain transactions for the negotiation of and entry into contingent contracts for the sale of Lukoil International GmbH -- the international business of Russian energy firm Lukoil -- and related maintenance activities. General License 131A, which replaces 131, now expires at 12:01 a.m. ET Jan. 17. The license was scheduled to expire Dec. 13 (see 2511140039).
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week removed two Russians from its Specially Designated Nationals List that it had originally sanctioned for either helping to provide Russia with export controlled items or for operating in Russia's technology sector.