Matt Axelrod Interviewed by Global Investigations Review About Suspension of Penalty by U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security
In the Media | April 16, 2026
A Global Investigations Review article describing how the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security suspended a $1.7 million penalty against a California company for breaching US export controls by cleaning up its compliance program (“BIS Suspends $1.7m Fine on California Semiconductor Tool Company,” April 14, 2026), includes commentary by partner Matt Axelrod.
Matt said that BIS occasionally uses suspended fines to show a violation is serious enough to warrant a high penalty even if the agency knows the company can’t pay. “BIS doesn’t want companies to go out of business, but there is a public education aspect to bringing an enforcement action,” he said.
Matt, who co-chairs Gibson Dunn’s Sanctions and Export Enforcement practice group, is a former Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Bureau of Industry and Security.