October saw two major enforcement actions involving Russia. First, three individuals were indicted for facilitating the export of controlled U.S.-origin electronics to Russia. Second, the president of a U.S. steel trading company pleaded guilty to sanctions violations for transacting with a designated Russian oligarch.

There were also several notable U.S. sanctions matters in October. The U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued two tranches of sanctions targeting Hamas financial networks. In addition, U.S. sanctions on Venezuela were eased through the issuance of four General Licenses (GLs). And a U.S. citizen pleaded guilty to violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for exceeding the scope of an OFAC license related to Iran.