The Bureau of Industry and Security this week renewed its temporary denial order for a Venezuela-based cargo airline after saying it continues to try to violate U.S. export restrictions and the terms of the TDO. BIS said Empresa de Transporte Aereocargo del Sur, also known as Aerocargo del Sur Transportation or Emtrasur, has demonstrated "continued disregard" for U.S. export controls.

The Federal Reserve Board on July 19 fined Deutsche Bank, its New York branch and other U.S. affiliates $186 million for violating two consent orders with the bank dealing with sanctions compliance and anti-money laundering controls. The board said Deutsche Bank "made insufficient remedial progress" under the two orders and had insufficient "anti-money laundering internal controls and governance processes" stemming from its past relationship with the bank's Estonian branch.

Paul Goldfinch, a sanctioned former board member at Russian financial institution Bank Otkritie, filed suit on July 17 at the District Court for the District of Columbia over the government's failure to render a decision on his delisting petition. The banker, listing the State and Treasury Departments as defendants, said he resigned after Bank Otkritie was listed in February 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the government has stalled on finding that he has satisfied its delisting requirements (Paul Goldfinch v. Antony J. Blinken, D.D.C. # 23-02045).

The Bureau of Industry and Security last week revoked export privileges for two people after they illegally exported firearms and other items from the U.S.

Vadim Konoshchenok, a Russian citizen allegedly linked to Russia's Federal Security Service, appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on July 14 on charges of conspiracy related to a "global procurement and money laundering" scheme to benefit the Russian state, the U.S. Attorney's Office for that district announced. He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

DOJ this week indicted Gal Luft, former co-director of a Maryland think tank, on charges related to “multiple international criminal schemes,” including arms trafficking and violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. The agency said Luft, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who worked at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, for “years” worked as a Chinese agent to “advance the interests” of the Chinese government, including by acting as a middleman in a range of illegal weapons and oil deals.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's bid to dismiss the government's claim that the infamous crypto-exchange executive violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act's anti-bribery provision (U.S. v. Samuel Bankman-Fried, S.D.N.Y. # 22-00673).

The Office of Foreign Assets Control denied allegations that it incorrectly sanctioned Iranian car manufacturer Bahman Group, telling a federal court last month that “at all relevant times” the agency acted in accordance with U.S. sanctions authorities. The agency said it sanctioned Bahman Group twice, each time under “independent factual bases,” and said facts supported its “determination” that Bahman Group continued to provide “material assistance” to the sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It also objected to Bahman Group’s claim that the company “successfully” rebutted the “factual bases” on which OFAC added the company to its Specially Designated Nationals List.

DOJ picked co-managing partner of Jenner & Block, Katya Jestin, and Ropes & Gray partner Alex Rene to serve as independent monitors for Swiss commodity trading and mining giant Glencore under the company's guilty plea agreement for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (see 2205270044). The tenure of monitors will run for three years as part of the resolution struck in May 2022. Jestin will lead a team of Jenner & Block attorneys as they review the company's market integrity compliance, while Rene will head up a unit looking into Glencore's FCPA compliance.

The Bureau of Industry and Security this week removed a Russian tour company from a temporary denial order imposed against Nordwind Airlines, a Russian airline that BIS said illegally operates aircraft on flights into and out of the country.