Hughes Hubbard & Reed has hired former US department of justice (DOJ) attorney Ryan Fayhee as partner and head of its sanctions, export controls and anti-money laundering group, which is part of the firm’s international trade practice. He will be based in Washington, DC.

Fayhee joins from Baker McKenzie, where he served as a partner in Washington for almost three years. Prior to this, he was a DOJ prosecutor and served as the national export control co-ordinator, the principal attorney overseeing sanctions investigations and export control prosecutions across the US.

During his 11 years at the DOJ, Fayhee prosecuted cases involving export controls, sanctions, cybercrime, trade secret theft and espionage. He received special recognition from the US attorney general for devising a model approach to the identification and disruption of foreign military supply and proliferation networks. Fayhee also led an investigation and prosecution of a multinational company that resulted in the largest criminal fine to date for sanctions violations.

In his new role, Fayhee represents companies, boards of directors, audit committees and senior executives in internal and government-facing cross-border investigations, and advises clients on compliance and acquisition due diligence with a focus on sanctions, export controls, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption and cybersecurity. He reports to Joanne Osendarp, chair of Hughes Hubbard’s international trade practice.

“Ryan brings tremendous experience and a unique perspective to the complex OFAC, money laundering and cyber-related investigations and compliance matters that our clients increasingly face,” says Osendarp.

Noting the “increasingly dynamic landscape and intense enforcement environment around sanctions, export controls and related issues affecting global supply chains”, Fayhee says he is “looking forward to collaborating with a group of distinguished colleagues who share an absolute commitment to client service”.