There is a powerful office in the Treasury Department called the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. You could argue that the officials in OFAC are the most powerful government functionaries in the world. They are the functionaries who sanction companies, organizations, and individuals, by adding these entities to a list called the Specially Designated Nationals List, or SDN List for short. 

Today, there are over 17,000 designated entities. The list includes Iranian government institutions, Afghan jihadists, Russian state enterprises, Venezuelan officials, and Mexican drug lords—a growing list of entities that the US deems a threat to national security. Getting on the list is easy. Getting off the list is hard.

Erich Ferrari is Founder and Principal Attorney of Ferrari & Associates, a Washington DC based law firm. Erich represents U.S. and foreign corporations, financial institutions, exporters, insurers, as well as private individuals in trade compliance, regulatory licensing matters, and federal investigations and prosecutions.

The Sanctions Age is hosted by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj. The show is produced by Spiritland Productions.

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