On September 1, 2020, the Financial Crimes Network
("FinCEN") issued a statement regarding various media
outlets' intent to publish Suspicious Activity Reports
("SARs") and "other sensitive government
documents". The full statement may be found here. The release offers no changes regarding
the unauthorized disclosure of SARs, and serves to remind everyone,
including media outlets, that publishing unlawfully disclosed
information is a crime. FinCEN has referred the matter to both the
Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury's
Office of Inspector General for further enforcement.
Generally, under the Bank Secrecy Act ("BSA"), U.S.
financial institutions are required to file a SAR with FinCEN
within 30 days if suspicious activity is detected in an account
related to things like money laundering, fraud or terrorist
financing. However, the BSA and other federal regulations
specifically prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of the SAR, or
any information that