New head of the Serious Fraud Office announced

The Attorney General, Jeremy Wright QC MP, has today (4 June) announced that Lisa Osofsky has been appointed as the new Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Lisa Osofsky brings a wealth of experience to the role, with over 30 years’ experience of focussing on financial crime in both the UK and US. Lisa began her career as a federal prosecutor pursuing white collar crime ranging from benefit, defence contractor and bank fraud to corruption, money laundering and drug conspiracy. In total she has prosecuted over 100 cases on behalf of the US Government.

Lisa’s career spans public and private sectors, including 5 years as Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Officer at the FBI, three years as Money Laundering Reporting Officer at Goldman Sachs International and seven years in the Corporate Investigation Division of Control Risks, where she advised on risk and compliance issues. Ms Osofsky will join the SFO from global firm Exiger’s London office, where she has led the firm’s investigative, compliance and assurance activities; these include assessing the money laundering and sanctions programmes of global financial institutions under orders imposed by prosecutors and regulators.

Her tenure will begin on 3rd September for a renewable term of 5 years. Lisa Osofsky will take over from Mark Thompson who was appointed as the Interim Director at the end of April. Mark will return to his role as Chief Operating Officer at the SFO.

Lisa Osofsky was appointed by the Attorney General after a rigorous and open competition, overseen by a Civil Service Commissioner.

Lisa will lead the SFO at an exciting time as the SFO works as part of a collective effort with its partners in the National Economic Crime Centre to tackle economic crime which is a priority for the Government. The SFO is in a strong position having recently secured five convictions for rate rigging offences relating to LIBOR and its first conviction after trial of a corporate entity for offences involving bribery of foreign officials. It has also obtained a number of high profile Deferred Prosecution Agreements, most notably in relation to Rolls Royce.

Commenting on the appointment, the Attorney General said:

I am delighted to announce that Lisa Osofsky will be the next Director of the SFO. Economic crime, at all levels, is a growing and changing threat and tackling it is a priority for the Government.

The SFO will continue to undertake crucial work to investigate and prosecute serious and complex economic crime, as an independent body that works closely and collaboratively with other UK and international authorities to best protect the public.

I have no doubt Lisa is the exceptional candidate we were looking for to lead the SFO at such a critical time. It is clear that economic crime is committed across national boundaries and Lisa’s experience of working at an international level will enhance the SFOs capabilities in this area.

Commenting on her appointment, Lisa Osofsky said:

I am honoured to be the next Director of the Serious Fraud Office. I look forward to building on the SFO’s successful record in the fight against economic crime and leading an emboldened SFO to even greater heights.

As set out in the Criminal Justice Act 1987, the Attorney General appoints the DSFO.

David Green’s term as DSFO ended on 20 April. This followed a 4 year contract that was extended for 2 years.

In April 2018, Mark Thompson was appointed as the Interim Director of the SFO. He will continue in this role until Lisa joins the SFO later this year.

Lisa Osofsky Biography:

Lisa Kate Osofsky will become the Director of the Serious Fraud Office on 3rd September 2018. In this role, she will be responsible for all investigations and prosecutions for some of the UK’s most serious and complex fraud and bribery. A UK Barrister, US Lawyer and the former Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Officer of the FBI, Ms. Osofsky brings a distinguished career in both the public and private sector to the SFO. Lisa Kate Osofsky serves as EMEA Regional Chair based in Exiger’s London office, where she focuses on financial crime and anti-bribery compliance, as well as the firm’s investigative operations.

Ms. Osofsky was previously the regulatory advisor at Control Risks. Before Control Risks she was the Executive Director of the Business Intelligence Group and the Money Laundering Reporting Officer at Goldman Sachs International, London. There, she advised GSI’s senior management, bankers and compliance officers on legal matters relating to money laundering, fraud and regulatory risk.

Preceding her time with Goldman Sachs, Ms. Osofsky was the Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Officer for the FBI. While there she managed white collar crime cases and investigations, focussing on operations, legislation and intelligence matters throughout the organisation.

Ms. Osofsky was also a Special Attorney in the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice and stationed at the Serious Fraud Office in London. Ms. Osofsky began her career in Chicago as a law clerk to federal judge James B. Moran; she then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting federal crimes ranging from financial, bank, defence and government contract fraud to public corruption and bribery. Before becoming DGC of the FBI, Ms. Osofsky served in DOJ’s Office of International Affairs, where she assisted with extradition and mutual legal assistance matters.

Education:

Ms. Osofsky received her Bachelor of Arts, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, from Amherst College, and holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Pupil, 9-12 Bell Yard, London; qualified to practise as barrister in courts of England and Wales; Member of Middle Temple Inn of Court.

Affiliations, Awards and Civic Engagements:

Harvard Law School Leadership Council

Recipient of the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Investigative and Trial Work

Bar Memberships:

Supreme Court of the United States; American Bar Association (ABA); International Bar Association; Trial Bar, Northern District of Illinois; Illinois State Bar; Bar of Northern District of Illinois; Bar of Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals; Bar of State of Maryland.

Dual UK-US Citizen