- Chief Compliance Officer and VP of Legal Affairs, Arrow Electronics
By 
Jeff Dale2024-01-26T19:50:00
Two Las Vegas casinos agreed to pay penalties of nearly $7.5 million as part of separate non-prosecution agreements with the Department of Justice addressing violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) over alleged anti-money laundering (AML) compliance failings.
The MGM Grand agreed to pay a fine of more than $6.5 million, while its former President Scott Sibella pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating the BSA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced in a press release Thursday.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which is operated by MGM, agreed to pay nearly $1 million in fines.
Both casinos will forfeit $500,000 in illicit proceeds counted toward their fines, undergo external review, and enhance their AML compliance programs as part of their respective settlements.
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Wynn Las Vegas agreed to forfeit $130 million to settle a range of criminal allegations, including allegedly helping foreign customers hide money transfers and shielding patrons from Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering rules, the Department of Justice said.
Enforcement actions in the first half of of 2024 by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network highlight the importance of proactive measures in Bank Secrecy Act compliance rather than just being compliant.
A New York-based Bank Secrecy Act compliance officer facilitated more than $1 billion in high-risk international financial business through an “unsophisticated” institution, according to the Department of Justice and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Purported “testimonial and review” service Rytr agreed to stop selling its program that used artificial intelligence to create fake content as part of a consent order with the Federal Trade Commission.
Bank of America avoided a monetary penalty in agreeing to settle charges with the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency but was ordered to shore up previously disclosed deficiencies in its Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) and sanctions compliance programs.
Aviation maintenance services provider AAR Corp. will pay nearly $56 million to settle charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when it paid bribes to government officials in Nepal and South Africa.
