Laurel L. Rimon
Senior Counsel
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Before coming to O’Melveny, Laurel served for more than 15 years as an Assistant United States Attorney and DOJ Trial Attorney, with a particular focus on litigating complex criminal and civil money laundering and other financial crimes involving some of the largest domestic and international corporations and financial institutions. As the head of Litigation for DOJ’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, she successfully coordinated numerous investigations of international financial institutions related to money laundering and sanctions violations, resulting in Deferred Prosecution Agreements coordinated with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Laurel also served as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit at the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, where she played a leading role in important mortgage fraud initiatives, including conducting jury trials.
Laurel’s decades of high-level government experience also include serving as an Assistant Deputy Enforcement Director for the Office of Enforcement at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, leading complex and sensitive investigations of bank and non-bank subjects including large banks, private educational institutions, and mortgage loan companies. Laurel also recently served as the General Counsel for the Office of the Inspector General at the US Department of Homeland Security, where she managed and advised on high-stakes criminal and administrative investigations, audits, inspections, and congressional relations.
Corporate & Government Experience
- General Counsel, Office of the Inspector General, US Department of Homeland Security
- Assistant Deputy Enforcement Director, Office of Enforcement, US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Chief, Special Prosecutions Unit, US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California
- Deputy Chief, Financial Investigations and Litigation Unit, Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, US Department of Justice
- Assistant US Attorney, Fraud and Public Corruption Section, US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
- Trial Attorney, US Department of Justice Civil Division
Honors & Awards
- Assistant Attorney General’s Award for The Safeguarding and Maintenance of Confidence in the American Marketplace
- Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Protecting Citizens from Online Crime
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- California
Education
- Southwestern Law School, J.D.
- University of California at Berkeley, B.A.
Professional Activities
Clerkships
- Honorable Kenneth Harkins, US Court of Federal Claims
Author
- Expert Contributor, “Understanding Digital Tokens: Guidelines for Anti-Money Laundering Compliance and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism,” Chamber of Digital Commerce (September 2019)
- “FinCEN SPEAKS CRYPTO: Extensive New Guidance for ICOs, Digital Wallets, DApps, Trading Platforms, Decentralized Exchanges, and others in the Blockchain and Crypto Space,” O'Melveny Client Alert (May 2019)
- “FinCEN Lays Down a New Marker in Cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering Enforcement,” O’Melveny Client Alert (April 2019)
- “DOJ Issues Expanded Guidance for Prosecutors in Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs,” O'Melveny Client Alert (May 2019)
- “Expanded CFPB Sandbox Promises Greater Protections for Fintech and Other Financial Services Companies,” O'Melveny Client Alert (January 2019)
- “Fintech: Anti-Money Laundering Compliance 101,” O'Melveny Client Alert (October 2018)
- “Legalized sports gambling: Anti-money laundering compliance,” Westlaw Journal Bank & Lender Liability (October 2018)
- “Why cryptocurrency businesses need to heed FinCEN’s onboarding regs,” PaymentsSource (May 2018)
- “The Impact of the Emerging AML Landscape in the EU on Cryptocurrency,” O’Melveny Client Alert (April 2018)
- “Op Ed: A Quick-Start Token Sale Compliance Guide: What You Need to Know,” Bitcoin Magazine (March 2018)
- “Do All ICO Issuers Have to Register as Money Service Businesses with FinCEN?,” O’Melveny Client Alert, with Eric Sibbitt (March 2018)
Speaker
- “Legal Perspectives on Fintech, BSA/AML,” International Bankers Association of California’s Special Update on Regulatory Hot Topics, FinTech Solutions and OFAC Compliance (December 11, 2019)
- “Women Lawyers in Blockchain,” Celo (September 19, 2019)
- “Staying compliant in this complex and changing regulatory environment,” ACI’s Women Leaders in Financial Law and Compliance Conference (September 18, 2019)
- “Fintech: Friend or foe? Collaboration and Regulation in Emerging Tech,” at the FIBA AML Compliance Conference in Miami (March 13, 2019)
- “Sports Betting: Rewards and Risks, Compliance Panel,” O’Melveny/EY Panel (January 31, 2019)
- “Virtual Currency Panel,” Mid-Atlantic Anti-Money Laundering Conference (July 2018)
- Fintech/BSA/Sanctions, International Bankers Ass’n of California (December 4, 2018)
- “The Latest Updates on Financial Crime and Risk Issues Facing the Gaming Industry,” International Association of Gaming Advisors Webinar (October 17, 2018)
- “Safe Bets: How the Supreme Court’s Sports Gambling Decision Affects AML Nationwide,” 2018 ACAMS AML and Financial Crimes Conference (October 3, 2018)
- Cyber and Fintech Developments in BSA/AML/OFAC, 2018 Mid-Atlantic Anti-Money Laundering Conference (July 24, 2018)
- “Exploring the New Frontier of Cryptocurrency & Blockchain,” Investor Rights Committee of the DC Bar Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Community (June 6, 2018)
- “Whistleblowers vs. Leakers,” Federal Bar Association: Current Issues in Government Investigations Conference (April 2018)
