James H Freis Jr

James H. Freis, Jr. was appointed Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) by Treasury Secretary Paulson on March 5, 2007. As Director, Mr. Freis will oversee FinCEN’s efforts as administrator of the Bank Secrecy Act to establish and implement policies to detect and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as support the law enforcement, regulatory and intelligence communities through the sharing and analysis of financial intelligence. Mr. Freis brings to FinCEN extensive experience in both the international and domestic arenas. Before this appointment Mr. Freis served in the Treasury Department as Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement and Intelligence, providing legal support to the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, including supervising legal counsel to FinCEN, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Treasury Executive Office for Asset Forfeiture. He was also responsible for developing international financial measures against rogue states. Before coming to Treasury, Mr. Freis served as Senior Counsel in the Legal Service of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, where he supported the banking, risk control, and compliance departments in providing financial services to central banks and international organizations for management of monetary reserves. He also had regular interaction with the Basel- based committees of experts setting international financial standards. Mr. Freis previously served in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's (FRBNY) legal department, where he advised on payment and settlement systems issues at wholesale and retail levels, administration of foreign government and central bank accounts, and legislative and regulatory reform. He was part of the successful defense of the Bank before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague with respect to the management of Iranian funds during the hostage crisis. Mr. Freis also spent one year working in Germany with the Federal Banking Supervisory Authority and in a commercial bank. Mr. Freis earned his Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, graduating with honors from each institution. He has authored several law review articles on international financial issues and has taken graduate coursework in economics at New York University. During his student days he also worked as a teller at a bank in New Jersey. He is an attorney-at-law and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder. He is a member of the American Bar Association as well as a member of, and former secretary to, the Committee on International Monetary Law of the International Law Association (MOCOMILA). He is the recipient of the Treasury Secretary’s Honor Award, received recognition for outstanding service to the BIS, and was the recipient of the FRBNY President’s Awards for Excellence.