April 11, 2016
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that Stephanie Brooker, Director of the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner. At Gibson Dunn, Brooker will focus on financial services related criminal and regulatory enforcement, compliance, and litigation.
“We are delighted to welcome Stephanie to the firm,” said Ken Doran, Chairman & Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “The firm has one of the leading white collar enforcement and anti-money laundering (AML) practices in the country, if not the world, and with her senior-level experience with both Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and AML regulatory enforcement actions, investigations and prosecutions, Stephanie will help us to expand our thriving financial institutions practice and to enhance our ability to advise all types of clients in the financial sector on these issues.”
“There has been an increase in high-profile AML regulatory enforcement actions and criminal prosecutions resulting in multi-million and billion dollar penalties,” said F. Joseph Warin, Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group. “These actions are complex and require deep knowledge of BSA regulations and AML laws. Stephanie is highly regarded and one of the few lawyers with recent BSA/AML experience both as a senior regulatory official and a former prosecutor. Stephanie will join more than 50 former Department of Justice and Assistant U.S. Attorneys at the firm, who represent clients in controversies and investigations across the globe.”
“With Stephanie on board, we can further expand our successful BSA/AML criminal and regulatory enforcement and compliance practice,” said Amy G. Rudnick, a Washington, D.C. partner and also a former senior Treasury official and prosecutor who heads up Gibson Dunn’s BSA/AML practice.
Brooker commented, “I’m excited to join Gibson Dunn. The firm has highly respected white collar and AML practices and provides the perfect platform for my extensive BSA/AML compliance, investigations and litigation experience.”
About Stephanie Brooker
Brooker served as the first Director of the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which is the lead federal regulator with responsibility for enforcing the U.S. AML laws and regulations. In this role, she oversaw all of FinCEN’s enforcement and compliance under the BSA, such as civil money penalty actions and injunctions against a wide range of financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, money services businesses, virtual currency entities, casinos, securities, futures, insurance, and dealers in precious metals, stones and jewels. She also oversaw rulemaking actions under Section 311 of the Patriot Act against foreign institutions and jurisdictions and Geographic Targeting Orders.
As Enforcement Director, Brooker also oversaw for the bureau litigation of contested enforcement actions, including several cases of first impression in federal court handled by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of FinCEN. She oversaw examinations of regulated financial institutions and development of compliance strategies. Brooker worked closely with a wide range of state and federal partners, including DOJ, U.S. Attorneys’ offices, State Department, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.
Prior to serving as Enforcement Director from 2013 to 2016, Brooker served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director of FinCEN from 2012 to 2013. In this role, she worked on complex issues, such as FinCEN’s reorganization, strategic planning, BSA enforcement, policy determinations and implementation, rulemakings, guidance, advisories and regulatory priorities. During her tenure at FinCEN, Brooker worked on a range of substantive issues, including cyber-related threats to financial institutions, terrorist financing, and compliance with FATF standards.
Brooker served from 2005 to 2012 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she served as the first Chief of the new Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section from 2010 to 2012. This Section was responsible for all asset forfeiture and money laundering issues in Criminal Division cases and for litigation of civil forfeiture cases. In this role, she investigated and prosecuted complex civil and criminal forfeiture cases involving high-priority enforcement areas, such as national security, sanctions violations, and major financial fraud. Brooker established the USAO’s first DC Financial Crimes Task Force and supervised the investigation and prosecution of BSA and money laundering cases. In 2012, she received the U.S. Attorney’s Award for Creativity and Innovation in Management. During her tenure in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Brooker tried 32 criminal trials. She also briefed and argued appeals in federal and state appellate courts. She was awarded three Special Achievement Awards for Superior Performance and the Office’s Criminal Division Award.
Brooker clerked for Judge Diana Gribbon Motz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She also worked in private practice as an appellate litigation associate at an international law firm. Brooker graduated magna cum laude in 2001 from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as Managing Editor of Georgetown Law Journal and was elected to the Order of the Coif.