The Office of Foreign Assets Control recently sanctioned three Cuban government officials for their roles in connection with the suppression of protests in the country, it said. The agency added Roberto Legra Sotolongo and Andres Laureano Gonzalez Brito of the Cuban Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces, as well as Abelardo Jimenez Gonzalez of the Cuban Ministry of Interior, to the Specially Designated Nationals List on Aug. 19. The designations mark the fourth round of sanctions since pro-democracy protests started in Cuba on July 11.

The Biden administration sanctioned two Russian individuals and a Russian vessel involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, the State Department said on Aug. 20. The Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the parties under the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA), which authorizes sanctions against Russia’s energy sector and its use of energy export pipelines. "The administration continues to oppose Nord Stream 2 as a bad deal for Ukraine, and a bad deal for Europe, and a harmful Russian geopolitical project," State spokesperson Ned Price said during a briefing. "We remain committed to implementing PEESA even as we take steps to reduce the risks an operational NS2 pipeline would pose to European energy security and the security of Ukraine and frontline NATO and EU countries."

The State Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control recently announced a series of sanctions against Russia, including import restrictions on firearms and the designation of entities and individuals connected the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny. Coming on the one-year anniversary of Navalny’s poisoning with Novichok nerve agent, the new sanctions are being carried out “in concert” with the United Kingdom, State said.

The Biden administration recently announced a series of new sanctions measures against Russia that take aim at the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny and officials connected to the country’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Several U.S. and multinational companies recently disclosed potential U.S. sanctions violations or updated previous disclosures. The cases involve a destruction of evidence in a sanctions investigation, potentially illegal transactions with Iran, a gaming software company and others.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Aug. 17 released a comprehensive list of the Belarusian people and entities it sanctioned Aug. 9 for human rights violations, corruption and other reasons. The notice includes identifying information for the new entries and reasons for each of the designations, some of which were made under the agency’s new Belarus sanctions authority (see 2108090033).

Two lawmakers said the U.S. should impose more sanctions against Cuba for its suppression of pro-democracy protests, but other measures are needed as well.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Aug. 13 sanctioned an Omani businessman and his companies for aiding an international oil smuggling network that supports Iran. The agency also designated more Cuban government officials and a military unit for human rights violations.

The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network fined one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange companies $100 million for failing to maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program, which violated the Bank Secrecy Act, according to a recent penalty notice. The violations also exposed other BitMEX compliance issues, including its deficient sanctions screening.

The Bureau of Industry and Security revoked export privileges for Matteo Taerri for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, BIS said in an Aug. 10 order. Taerri was convicted June 4, 2020, after illegally trying to export a U.S.-origin Prostak filter module to Iran without the required license from the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Taerri was sentenced to time served, three years of supervised release and issued a $200 fine. BIS denied Taerri’s export privileges for 10 years from the date of conviction.