Maritime Sanctions Unveiled: Navigating OFAC’s Key Priorities and Strategies for Dark Fleet Challenges

After joining the private sector in 2013, David created Blackstone Compliance Services, a company specializing in sanctions compliance. As the director of Blackstone, he has led sanctions testing for three major monitorships on behalf of the US Department of Justice, Federal Reserve Board, New York Department of Financial Services, and foreign regulators such as the United Kingdom’s FCA and France’s APCR.

His experience goes beyond representing and responding to regulators and law enforcement authorities. He frequently works with some of the largest financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies to develop compliance programs and implement technology to detect sanctions evasion and money laundering. He has done significant work for half of the global Top-10 financial institutions. He has conducted many complex investigations spanning multiple jurisdictions where he untangled complicated sanctions networks used by North Korea, Iran, Syria, and Russia.

Mr. Tannenbaum graduated magna cum laude with an MBA and a Masters in United States Foreign Policy from American University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University.

Captain Steve’s impressive career trajectory also encompasses influential positions with two renowned ship registries, the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) and the Liberia International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR). During his tenure, he took charge of operations in the Americas and played a pivotal role in establishing and overseeing a new Offshore and LNG division at LISCR.