United States
I am an Anti-Financial Crime professional leader with over a decade of experience in fraud and anti-money laundering (AML) investigations, compliance, and reporting. I hold a MBA degree, a Financial Crime Investigator Certificate, and several ABA certifications, including the AML Specialist designation. My core competencies include managing and influencing data investigators, creating and implementing unit objectives and policies, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and representing the unit on various projects and initiatives. I also have skills in quality assurance, learning and development, transaction analysis, and risk management. My mission is to be the catalyst for change to connect people, achieve core objectives, and to protect customers from financial crimes.
Lead a multi-disciplinary team responsible for complex financial crime investigations, including money laundering, fraud, sanctions, and other illicit financial activity across retail and commercial banking. Oversaw end to end investigative processes, ensuring timely, high quality case resolution in compliance with regulatory requirements, internal policies, and risk tolerance. Partnered with compliance, legal, audit, and law enforcement to escalate high risk cases, support regulatory exams, and respond to subpoenas and information requests. Drove risk-based decision making through data analysis, trend identification, and root cause reviews to mitigate emerging financial crime threats. Developed and implemented investigative standards, quality assurance controls, and performance metrics to improve effectiveness, consistency, and examiner readiness. Managed staffing, training, and professional development to build a high performing team with strong judgment and a growth mindset. Provided senior leadership with clear reporting on financial crime risks, investigative outcomes, and control gaps, influencing strategic risk management decisions. Supported enterprise initiatives to strengthen financial crime prevention frameworks and align with evolving regulatory expectations.
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Provide Operational oversight over multi-functional teams: Aggregation Management, Fraud Recovery, and AM Remediation. Responsible for supervision of the regulatory functions to include ownership of the investigative processes and procedures, including reporting and oversight functions. Continuously seeks opportunities to improve services by coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders on issues, process, and major deliverables. Prepares investigative reports, case updates, presentations, monitor forecasting outputs, escalates as appropriate and makes recommendations for process improvements. Stays abreast of current events, changes in applicable laws, regulations, and industry related news events. Lead the operations teams responsible for accurately accounting for members obligations, and members money movement transactions in accordance with Regulatory rules, GAAP accounting regulations, negotiated vendor terms, applicable tax regulations, and provides a key control structure to ensure accuracy of accounting, and operational processes. Serves as the business SME to identify and classify critical information assets and manage the business and technical data. Serve as the POC holding the team accountable to meeting the SLO for timely closure of alerts by managing alert enrichment, assignment, production projections, etc. Build and oversees a team of employees through ongoing execution of recruiting, development, coaching and support, performance management, and managerial activities. Ensures risks associated with business activities are effectively identified, measured, monitored, and controlled in accordance with risk and compliance policies and procedures. Coordinate with stakeholders related to testing, verification and issue process enhancements for subsequent changes to the departments functional processes.
Managed the daily operations of AML staff by overseeing alert/case volumes and providing ongoing coaching, guidance, and training. Managed and influence data analysts as they gather data from prior AML investigations, subpoenas, and prior escalations to detect trends and “connect the dots” amongst disparate data sets. Created and implemented unit objectives and policies and procedures to meet organizational goals and objectives in support of USAA and its membership. Oversee and managed designated AML prevention and detection environments and ensures regulatory and reporting requirements. Provided decisions on rules for money laundering activities and filing of referrals. Identified and implements corrective action for any outstanding AML or BSA (Bank Secrecy Act) and OFAC compliance issues. Collaborated with senior management in developing strategy, business plans/objectives, and processes for the AML/BSA team. Represented the AML/BSA unit on various committees, working groups and complex projects, or initiatives. Lead training sessions on AML awareness and processes. Maintained AML expert knowledge and keeps abreast of money laundering typology trends within USAA and industry wide. Advised senior management of AML risk exposure based on suspected activity or employee misconduct or collusion related to ML/TF activity. Conducted quality reviews on third party analyst and review escalations for SAR consideration.
Worked collaboratively with key stakeholders to draft procedures and departmental process updates to streamline workflow and minimize inefficiencies. Created project specific timetables, communicate, and ensure contributors are on track to meet targeted deadlines. Ensured frequent collaboration and effective communication across USAA FIU teams through participation in various internal projects including the implementation of transactional data reporting, Cross line collaboration groups, FIU Procedure, and Regulatory Reporting Targeted Training. Provided Quality Control of case and Suspicious Activity Reports output by team, by providing coaching, assurance reviews, and develop continuance training materials to enhance team members success. Assisted junior staff with preparing Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and recommend relationship retention or termination. Inventoried control testing and collaboration to create tactical and strategic solutions for issues management resolution, which are executed effectively. Oversees and manages designated AML prevention and detection environments and ensures regulatory and reporting requirements are met. Mentored more junior team members while encouraging consistent understanding of policies and procedures. Interacted as an instrumental role in deliverables related to Backlog issues, which include collaborating with cross functional stakeholders in Detection, KYC, AML Compliance Testing, and Executive level leadership. Validated feedback and provide responses to Quality Assurance and Quality Control requests regarding AML transaction monitoring alerts and cases accurately and in a timely manner. Performed managerial responsibilities for direct manager, and other managers while on PTO. Served as Support Senior for various teams while Seniors are on special projects or unavailable.
Reviewed case escalations while documenting the assessed risk of financial patterns, and trends, all while making sure to detect any anomalies in transactional history, which would result in a suspicious activity report related to money laundering, terrorist financing, structuring, and financial scams. Conducted Enhanced Due Diligence on high risk customers, recommend account restrictions, and escalate account closures as needed. Objectively review and approve closed cases due to low risk escalations and cases generated in error Worked with internal and external groups to ensure consistent understanding of regulatory requirements. Functioned as a key contributor with demonstrated knowledge of AML/KYC issues, as well as broader functional knowledge of industry standards. Liaised with the Fraud and Business team to conduct AML due diligence reviews and investigations of potential PPP violators and draft narratives for suspicious activity reports.
Reviewed AML Investigations, Suspicious Activity Reports, and Subpoenas, to determine if the client relationship should be maintained or terminated. Independently compile supporting documentation and data including media research, line of business responses, internal system results and transaction history including documenting review findings for Compliance and Business management review. Conducted investigation using global standard policies, procedures and tools, aimed at meeting internal and external regulatory requirements. Worked closely with Senior Management in Compliance, Legal and various line of business concerning AML concerns which prompted filing or closure recommendation to identify additional information in support of case.
Analyze internal and external information to gain additional intelligence regarding emerging risk via various reporting sources. Conduct enhanced due diligence on customers due to various typologies such as Elder exploitation, Informal value transfer service and human trafficking etc. Due to compliance reviews, follow up with internal support concerning reviewed findings and provide additional point of contact as needed in support of case. Liaise with other Investigative units, compliance teams, FIU Legal, Regulators, Law enforcement and industry members, to prevent, detect, and control financial crime. Write and file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) and recommend relationship retention or termination and track as required. Conduct Cross sector reviews among multiple business lines in retail, business, investments, mortgage, etc., Provide guidance and direction to more junior staff.
Identify and recommend required changes to ensure compliance with applicable regulations, business processes, and mandated changes. Work with Global Sanctions/Screening Management and Subject Matter Experts to draft necessary edits to existing procedures and develop new procedures and job aids. Process of regulatory/non regulatory internally directed Enterprise-wide searches of accountholders and their transactions looking for known or suspected money launderers, terrorists or drug dealers. Provide internal and external written and verbal communication of issues, searches, review, reporting of and documenting results. Manage the data, and follow-through on identified risks through reporting data, risk assessments, Compliance Testing results, exam findings, and control assessments. Determine if a true match to a suspect name will include: the results of periodic systematic accountholder screenings, real-time review of online transactions and the review of specific issues escalated from business units. Responsible for reviewing system inputs, and triage of internal referrals of suspicious customer activity.