ScreenVeritAI
    DOSSIER · SANCTIONS ENFORCEMENTPUBLIC RECORD

    Sanctions screening

    The question is not whether you will encounter a sanctioned entity. It is whether you will catch it in time.

    Global regulatory fines reached a record $19.3 billion in 2024. Under strict liability, you pay even if you did not know. ScreenVeritAI screens every major sanctions jurisdiction in one pass — with fuzzy matching that catches the transliterations, aliases, and intermediary schemes exact search walks past.

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    Multi-jurisdiction trace

    Clean in OFAC. Clean in the EU. Sanctioned in Poland since 2022.

    A subject can pass every list you thought to check and still be sanctioned one jurisdiction over. Watch one screening run every regime in a single pass.

    MULTI-JURISDICTION TRACE
    t+6.70s
    insubject> ████████████████

    Subject · redacted

    01> Screening subject across every sanctions jurisdiction, one pass
    • OFACUS · OFAC SDNCLEAR
    • EUEU CONSOLIDATEDCLEAR
    • UNUN SECURITY COUNCILCLEAR
    • UKUK · OFSICLEAR
    • CACANADA · OSFICLEAR
    • PLPOLAND · MSWiAasset freeze · 2022LISTED
    VERDICT· One list over — caught because every jurisdiction runs in the same check.

    Single-jurisdiction screening would have cleared this subject.

    §01The cost of getting it wrong

    01 / 10

    These are not hypothetical scenarios. Every case below resulted in real penalties, real investigations, or real prison time.

    CASE 01ENFORCED

    $216M

    GVA Capital (2025)

    Invested on behalf of a sanctioned Russian individual. Failed to screen ultimate beneficiaries through multiple corporate layers.

    What went wrong

    No beneficial ownership screening. The sanctioned person was hidden behind intermediary entities that passed name-only checks.

    OFAC Enforcement Action
    CASE 02ENFORCED

    $9.6M

    3M Company

    Iran sanctions violations routed through subsidiaries in Dubai and Switzerland. Parent company held liable for subsidiary conduct.

    What went wrong

    Subsidiaries operated outside the parent company's sanctions screening program. Intermediary jurisdictions masked the ultimate destination.

    OFAC Settlement
    CASE 03ENFORCED

    GBP 1.16M

    Unnamed UK company (2025)

    Record UK compound settlement for making goods available to Russia in breach of sanctions regulations.

    What went wrong

    Assumed UK enforcement was theoretical. HMRC now actively investigates and penalizes sanctions breaches — with record penalties.

    UK Government
    CASE 04ENFORCED

    5 years prison

    German exporter (2025)

    Criminal prosecution for luxury car exports to Russia via intermediaries. Assets confiscated. Individual sentenced to prison.

    What went wrong

    Relied on the intermediary's assurances about end destination. No independent screening of the supply chain.

    Duane Morris
    CASE 05ENFORCED

    $300K

    Milwaukee electronics company

    Television shipments to a Panama company with hidden Cuban government ties. The company did not know — and paid the full penalty.

    What went wrong

    No screening of the buyer's ownership structure. The Cuban government connection was not visible in the company name or registration.

    SGR Law
    CASE 06ENFORCED

    $50K

    California charter company

    Chartered a single boat whose owner had ties to the Cuban government. One transaction, one fine.

    What went wrong

    A single unscreened transaction. The vessel owner's government ties were publicly available but never checked.

    SGR Law

    §02The numbers behind sanctions enforcement

    02 / 10
    STAT 01

    $19.3B

    Record global regulatory fines in 2024

    Fintech Global
    STAT 02

    $377,700

    Maximum civil penalty per OFAC violation (2025)

    Federal Register
    STAT 03

    $1M + 20 years

    Maximum criminal penalty per willful OFAC violation

    50 U.S.C. § 1705
    STAT 04

    10 years

    Record retention now required by OFAC (doubled from 5)

    Federal Register
    STAT 05

    9x

    Stock price losses averaging 9x the financial penalty imposed

    Armour, Mayer & Polo — JFQA
    STAT 06

    2.71x

    Non-compliance costs vs. compliance investment

    Ponemon Institute
    CONTROLS
    CTRL 01

    Every major sanctions jurisdiction in one check

    Screen across US OFAC, the EU, the UN, the UK, France, Poland, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, South Africa, and New Zealand — simultaneously. One search, full jurisdictional coverage.

    CTRL 02

    Fuzzy matching that catches what exact search misses

    Transliteration, alias resolution, and phonetic matching catch the spelling variations, name inversions, and intermediary schemes that real enforcement cases exploited.

    CTRL 03

    Enforcement-grade evidence for every decision

    Every screening generates timestamped evidence with match details, source references, and decision rationale — built for OFAC's 10-year record retention requirement.

    CTRL 04

    Real-time list updates

    When new SDN entries are added or existing designations change, your next screening reflects it. No stale data, no gaps between list publication and your screening.

    §03From name to decision in under two minutes

    03 / 10

    Five steps between you and an auditable sanctions decision.

    01

    Enter entity details

    Provide the entity name, known aliases, and country. The more identifiers you include, the more precise the matching.

    02

    Simultaneous multi-regime screening

    ScreenVeritAI queries every major sanctions jurisdiction in parallel, applying fuzzy matching, transliteration, and alias resolution to each.

    03

    Review explainable matches

    Each potential match shows the originating list, designation program, match confidence, and the specific fields that triggered the hit.

    04

    Export evidence bundle

    Generate a timestamped report with screening results, source references, and your documented rationale — ready for compliance files or regulatory review.

    05

    Set up ongoing monitoring

    Configure alerts for new designations affecting screened entities. When lists change, you are notified before your next transaction.

    §04What compliance teams get

    04 / 10
    • Explainable sanctions matches with list source and confidence scores
    • Multi-regime coverage eliminating the need to check lists individually
    • Fuzzy matching that catches transliterations, aliases, and phonetic variations
    • Timestamped evidence bundles meeting OFAC 10-year retention requirements
    • Faster analyst triage with match context and program details
    • Ongoing monitoring for new designations and list changes
    • Audit-ready output format for internal review and regulatory examination
    • Consistent screening workflow for customers, vendors, and counterparties

    §05Choose your screening depth

    05 / 10

    Every sanctions screening runs at one of three levels. Start deterministic for volume, escalate to AI when a case needs it — the same global sanctions sources are checked at every level.

    LVL 01

    Quick Check

    Deterministic exact and structured matching. No AI in the loop — data never leaves the platform.

    LVL 02

    AI-Enhanced Check

    Adds query expansion, transliteration, and alias resolution to widen recall on name variants.

    LVL 03

    AI Review Check

    Adds AI-assisted match reasoning and false-positive indicators you can read and export.

    Compare the three screening levels

    §06Sanctions screening pricing

    06 / 10

    Two ways to pay. Pay as you go at the level you choose — from €0.79 a check, no monthly commitment, screen as much or as little as you need. Or a monthly pack: a prepaid allowance at pack rates for predictable billing. There is no monthly platform fee either way.

    • Quick Check

      Deterministic, no AI — data never leaves the platform

      €0.79

    • AI-Enhanced Check

      Query expansion, transliteration and alias resolution

      €1.39

    • AI Review Check

      AI-assisted reasoning and false-positive indicators

      €1.79

    No monthly platform fee. Pay only for checks, reports and monitored entities.

    See full pricing

    §07Key sanctions terms

    07 / 10
    TERM 01OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control)
    The US Treasury Department agency responsible for administering and enforcing economic and trade sanctions. OFAC maintains the SDN List and other sanctions programs targeting countries, individuals, and entities.
    TERM 02SDN List (Specially Designated Nationals)
    OFAC's primary sanctions list identifying individuals and entities whose assets are blocked. US persons are generally prohibited from dealing with SDN-listed parties, and transactions involving SDN parties are subject to strict liability.
    TERM 03EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List
    The European Union's unified list of all persons, groups, and entities subject to EU financial sanctions. Maintained by the European Commission and legally binding across all EU member states.
    TERM 04IEEPA (International Emergency Economic Powers Act)
    The US federal law authorizing the President to regulate international commerce in response to national emergencies. IEEPA provides the legal basis for most US sanctions programs and prescribes criminal penalties of up to $1 million and 20 years imprisonment per willful violation.
    TERM 05Sanctions screening
    The process of checking individuals, companies, and transactions against government-maintained lists of sanctioned entities. Required for compliance with AML regulations and subject to strict liability in many jurisdictions.
    TERM 06Secondary sanctions
    Sanctions that penalize non-US persons for conducting certain transactions with sanctioned parties, even if the transactions have no direct US nexus. Secondary sanctions extend the reach of US sanctions programs globally.
    TERM 07Sanctions evasion
    The deliberate circumvention of sanctions restrictions through intermediaries, shell companies, false documentation, or other schemes designed to disguise prohibited transactions. Sanctions evasion is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions.
    TERM 08List-based screening
    The practice of checking counterparty names and identifiers against published sanctions and watchlists. Effective list-based screening requires fuzzy matching, alias resolution, and transliteration to catch variations that exact name matching would miss.

    §08Authoritative sources

    08 / 10
    1. [01]
      OFAC Sanctions Programs and Information

      U.S. Department of the Treasury

    2. [02]
    3. [03]
      EU Financial Sanctions Database (FSD)

      European External Action Service

    4. [04]
      UN Security Council Consolidated List

      United Nations Security Council

    5. [05]
      UK OFSI Financial Sanctions

      HM Treasury, UK Government

    6. [06]

    PEP Screening

    Dedicated PEP domain — 750,000+ structured records from 134 public sources.

    Criminal Watchlist Screening

    Official criminal and wanted-list sources, screened alongside sanctions.

    Customer Screening & Due Diligence

    Go beyond sanctions lists — map ownership, PEP exposure, and adverse media.

    Batch Screening

    Screen hundreds of entities across all sanctions regimes in one upload.

    Sanctions List Coverage

    See every sanctions list and jurisdiction ScreenVeritAI covers.

    Ongoing Sanctions Monitoring

    Set up continuous monitoring for new designations and list changes.

    Batch Portfolio Rescreening

    Rescreen your entire customer and supplier base in hours.

    Partner Due Diligence

    Deep screening for M&A, JV, and business partnerships.

    §10Sanctions screening FAQ

    10 / 10
    Q01What is sanctions screening and why is it legally required?
    Sanctions screening is the process of checking individuals, companies, and transactions against government-maintained lists of sanctioned entities. It is legally required because most jurisdictions impose strict liability for sanctions violations — meaning your organization can be penalized even if the violation was unintentional. In the US, OFAC can impose civil penalties of up to $377,700 per violation, and willful violations under IEEPA carry criminal penalties of up to $1 million and 20 years imprisonment.
    Q02What happens if we miss a sanctioned entity?
    Consequences range from substantial fines to criminal prosecution. OFAC's maximum civil penalty is $377,700 per violation, and willful violations carry up to $1 million and 20 years in prison under IEEPA. In practice, penalties often run into millions: GVA Capital faced $216 million for investing on behalf of a sanctioned Russian individual, and 3M paid $9.6 million for Iran-related violations routed through subsidiaries. Beyond financial penalties, academic research shows stock price losses averaging 9 times the financial penalty imposed (Armour, Mayer & Polo, JFQA), and non-compliance costs 2.71 times more than maintaining a compliance program (Ponemon Institute).
    Q03Which sanctions lists does ScreenVeritAI cover?
    ScreenVeritAI screens across every major sanctions jurisdiction simultaneously. These include US OFAC (SDN and Consolidated Lists), the EU Consolidated Financial Sanctions List, UN Security Council Sanctions, UK HM Treasury (OFSI), France, Poland (MSWiA National List), Canada (OSFI Consolidated), Australia (DFAT Consolidated Sanctions List), Switzerland (SECO Sanctions), South Africa (FIC Targeted Financial Sanctions), and New Zealand (Police Designated Terrorists) — alongside further national and sectoral lists. The full source register — sanctions, criminal watchlists and PEP — is published on our coverage page. Coverage as of June 2026.
    Q04Can sanctions screening catch indirect exposure through intermediaries?
    Yes, but only with the right approach. Many enforcement cases — including the 3M case ($9.6M for Iran violations routed through Dubai and Swiss subsidiaries) and the German exporter case (5 years prison for car exports to Russia via intermediaries) — involved sanctioned parties hidden behind layers of intermediaries. ScreenVeritAI's fuzzy matching and alias resolution catch the spelling variations, transliterations, and name structures that intermediary schemes typically exploit.
    Q05Do we need sanctions screening if we are not a financial institution?
    Yes. Sanctions obligations apply to virtually all businesses, not just banks. A Milwaukee electronics company paid $300,000 for unknowingly shipping televisions to a company with hidden Cuban government ties. A California charter company paid $50,000 for a single boat charter. OFAC's jurisdiction extends to any US person or entity, and secondary sanctions can reach non-US companies engaging with sanctioned parties.
    Q06How long must we retain sanctions screening records?
    OFAC now requires 10 years of record retention — doubled from the previous 5-year requirement. This means every screening decision, match result, and rationale document must be preserved and retrievable for a full decade. ScreenVeritAI generates timestamped evidence bundles with source references and documented rationale designed to meet this requirement.
    Q07What is the difference between sanctions screening and customer due diligence?
    Sanctions screening checks whether an entity appears on a prohibited list — it is one component of a broader compliance program. Customer due diligence (CDD) encompasses the full risk assessment: beneficial ownership mapping, PEP exposure analysis, adverse media screening, and risk-tier classification. Sanctions screening answers whether the entity is prohibited; CDD answers whether the entity is risky. Most compliance frameworks require both.
    Q08How does fuzzy matching improve sanctions screening accuracy?
    Exact name matching misses transliterations (e.g., Cyrillic-to-Latin), alias variations, name inversions, and spelling differences across languages. Fuzzy matching applies phonetic algorithms, transliteration tables, and alias resolution to catch these variations. This is critical because sanctions evasion frequently exploits exactly these gaps — slight name changes that defeat exact search while remaining identifiable to sophisticated matching algorithms.
    Q09How fast can we run sanctions screening on a new entity?
    Most screenings complete in under two minutes. You enter the entity name, aliases, and country; ScreenVeritAI simultaneously queries every major sanctions jurisdiction with fuzzy matching; and results are returned with explainable match context, confidence scores, and source references. The entire workflow from name entry to exportable evidence bundle takes minutes, not hours.
    Q10What evidence does ScreenVeritAI provide for each screening?
    Every screening generates a timestamped evidence bundle containing: the entity details submitted, all sanctions regimes queried, each potential match with list source and confidence score, the specific fields that triggered each match, and your documented rationale for the decision. This output is designed to satisfy OFAC's 10-year record retention requirement and regulatory expectations for auditable compliance documentation.

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