LBKM Newsletter | Autumn 2024

The “Engel List”: Corruption and Anti-Democracy Sanctions against Latin American Officials

The Engel List was designed as a critical foreign policy tool to target corruption in Central America. However, like many US “lists,” it presents significant challenges from a due process perspective. Adam Kaufmann, Cristián Francos, and Alex Bedrosyan wrote about the compilation of the list and how to get off it. [Read the article]

Sean Combs denied bail

Anthony Capozzolo commented in the New York Times on a federal judge’s decision to deny bail to Sean Combs as he awaits trial for sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Anthony compared the case to the NXIVM sex trafficking case against Keith Raniere, in which LBKM represented the mother of one of the victims. [Read the article]

NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted

Adam Kaufmann provided Spectrum News with insight on the challenges Mayor Adams and his cabinet face in light of the mayor's federal indictment on bribery and fraud charges. [Read more and watch the video]

Compensation for overseas victims of corruption

Cristián Francos was quoted in the International Bar Association publication Global Insight on the frameworks used in many Western countries to provide compensation to overseas victims of economic crime. [Read the article]

Chambers recognizes LBKM for work in Latin America

LBKM made its debut in the Chambers and Partners annual Latin America Guide, ranking among the leading international firms in the area of Corporate Crime and Investigations. We are proud to be the only boutique firm so ranked.

Chambers highlighted the firm’s "expert handling of corporate crime and investigation cases arising out of Latin America." 

A client source said: "LBKM are creative, understand our risks and show a hands-on approach to our cases. Their legal practitioners have a strong knowledge of Latin American jurisdictions."

Latin American clients with US exposure frequently face issues that cross not only borders but disciplines: criminal, civil, regulatory, compliance. LBKM’s multilingual team leverages the firm’s decades of experience in cross-border litigation as well as the experience of seasoned former prosecutors and compliance professionals. The team also boasts a network of longstanding working relationships and contacts throughout Latin America, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Congrats to the LatAm team: Cristián Francos, Adam Kaufmann, Art Middlemiss, Eric Lewis, Chiara Spector-Naranjo, Elizabeth Vélez, and Alex Bedrosyan. [Read more]

Adam Kaufmann joined the International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators as a new Fellow and in September was featured as Fellow of the Month. [Read the Q&A]

Anthony Capozzolo was appointed to the New York City Bar’s Criminal Advocacy Committee. [More about Anthony]

Eric L. Lewis was named to the 2025 Best Lawyers in America list for Commercial Litigation. [View the list]

Annika Conrad joined the board of the New York Estonian Educational Society, which focuses on spreading and preserving Estonian culture, as assistant secretary and its youngest member. [More about Annika]

”Fantastic” and “efficient”

Elizabeth Vélez defended a judgment debtor and his family in a turnover proceeding before Justice Andrea Masley of the Supreme Court of New York, Commercial Division. At arguments held in August and September, Justice Masley repeatedly praised Elizabeth's “fantastic” and “efficient” oral advocacy. [More about Elizabeth]

Eric Lewis presented a webinar about the Julian Assange saga to the International Academy of Financial Crime Litigators. Eric also presented at a seminar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University with Professor Ibrahim Warde on Money Laundering, Counter Terror Finance and Islamic Charities and Institutions.

Adam Kaufmann and Cristián Francos attended the International Bar Association’s annual conference in Mexico City, where Cristián co-moderated a panel on business crime crisis situations in a corporate environment.

At a conference of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Carol Van Cleef spoke about the money laundering-related regulations recently finalized by the OCC.

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