BAT will pay more than $629 million in penalties, the single largest North Korea sanctions penalty in Justice Department history, as part of a settlement agreement, Olsen said during a press conference.
The action is the culmination of a long-running probe into BAT, which purportedly violated US sanctions by engaging in business with North Korea, Olsen said.
In a separate action, the United States is also charging one North Korean banker and two Chinese nationals for allegedly making unlawful payments using front companies in an attempt to hide financial activities from the US, Olsen said.
The three individuals allegedly used multiple front companies to purchase tobacco products and other goods for North Korean customers, as well as laundered US dollars, Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Jung Pak said during the press conference.
The US State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest of North Korean national Sim Hyon-Sop, Pak said.
The department is also offering separate reward offers of $500,000 each for Chinese nationals Qin Guoming and Han Linlin, Pak added.