Cari N. Stinebower

Practice Areas

Economic Sanctions

National Security & Cross-Border Transactions

Anti-Money Laundering

Anti-Corruption/FCPA

Export Controls

Ethics & Compliance

Independent & Internal Investigations

Financial Services Investigations & Enforcement

Financial Regulatory Compliance & Policy

Career

Cari Stinebower is a former US Department of the Treasury/Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) attorney-advisor who counsels multinational companies, financial institutions, and other clients on economic sanctions, national security, anti-money laundering, and anti-corruption compliance and enforcement matters. With more than 25 years of government and private practice experience, she helps clients manage regulatory risk where US national security and foreign policy objectives intersect with cross-border business.

Cari counsels clients on compliance with US economic sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Bank Secrecy Act, Anti-Money Laundering laws and regulations, export controls, and anti‑bribery and anti‑corruption regimes. Her work includes designing and enhancing global compliance programs, conducting sanctions and AML risk assessments, leading internal and external investigations, and representing clients in enforcement actions and regulatory inquiries before US and non-US authorities. She also helps clients navigate conflicts of law arising from non‑US blocking statutes, data privacy restrictions, and divergent regulatory expectations.

She has deep experience advising clients in the maritime, energy, financial services, insurance, and transportation sectors, including counseling on sanctions targeting Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, and other high‑risk jurisdictions. Cari frequently represents clients before OFAC and other US agencies in licensing, disclosures, and de‑listing matters and has litigated challenges to sanctions designations and enforcement actions. She also works with clients to prepare for Congressional testimony and investigations.

Before entering private practice, Cari served in senior roles at the US Department of the Treasury, including as an attorney-advisor assigned to OFAC and as a programs officer responsible for counter narcotics, sanctions, and anti‑terrorism initiatives. During her government service, she advised on sanctions legislation, drafted executive orders and United Nations Security Council resolutions, and defended OFAC in litigation and congressional investigations. She received formal recognition from the Secretary of the Treasury for her work on key counterterrorism and sanctions programs.

Cari is a frequent speaker and writer on sanctions, AML, and enforcement issues and is regularly quoted by global media outlets on developments in international trade and national security regulation. She has lectured at leading academic institutions in the United States and Europe and is consistently recognized by top legal directories and industry publications for her work in international trade, sanctions, and investigations.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law

Federalist Society

Vice Chair, Section of International Law, International Anti-Money Laundering and Professional Ethics Committee (2008-present)

ABA Gatekeepers Task Force

Enterprise Member, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists