Claiborne (Clay) W. Porter is the co-founder of Arktouros pllc.  Clay’s practice focuses advising and representing clients, including individuals and organizations, in complex international white collar criminal and regulatory matters, internal investigations, extradition proceedings, asset recovery, gaming and gambling, and compliance counseling focusing on financial integrity matters, including U.S. economic sanctions, the Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money laundering laws and regulations (BSA/AML), fraud, international money laundering and corruption, embezzlement, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and cryptocurrency.  Clay has extensive trial and contested hearings experience from serving as the co-lead counsel in a 12 week, six defendant international money laundering trial to numerous state court trials.  

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Clay’s government experience includes various leadership and supervisory roles in the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division (MLARS), including Acting Principal Deputy Chief of MLARS and Chief of the Bank Integrity Unit. At MLARS, he managed a wide variety of complex domestic and international investigations focused on BSA/AML, money laundering, fraud, and U.S. economic sanctions, and coordinated those efforts with various domestic (state and federal) and foreign law enforcement and regulators, including U.S. Attorneys Offices across the country, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of Currency, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, New York State Department of Financial Services, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, National Crime Agency, and the Crown Prosecution Service.  As part of Clay’s duties at MLARS, he supported the Section’s responsibilities relating to reviewing and authorizing any criminal enforcement action against a financial services firm, including banks, for violations of the BSA.  

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Previously, Clay was the Chief Legal Officer of a DeFi risk management company.  Clay was also a partner in an international law firm’s financial crimes defense and compliance practice, focusing on international white collar matters, asset recovery, U.S. economic sanctions, and AML-related enforcement matters. Prior to that, Clay served as a managing director at a large consulting firm, leading its investigations group. Clay regularly advised on anti-money laundering and economic sanctions matters, including conducting full-scope reviews and gap analyses of BSA/AML and sanctions compliance programs of banks, money services businesses, and cryptocurrency exchanges.  Earlier in his career, Clay worked as an associate in two international law firms and as an Assistant District Attorney in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office handling violent crime cases.