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Sigal Mandelker

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Sigal P. Mandelker
United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Acting
June 26, 2017 – December 12, 2018
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded bySarah Bloom Raskin
Succeeded byJustin Muzinich
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
In office
June 26, 2017 – October 3, 2019
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byAdam Szubin (acting)
Succeeded byBrian E. Nelson
Personal details
Born
Sigal Pearl Mandelker

1971 (age 52–53)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Michigan (BA)
University of Pennsylvania (JD)
OccupationAttorney

Sigal Pearl Mandelker (born 1971) is an American lawyer and former government official who served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence from 2017 to 2019. In October 2019, she stepped down[1] from the position to pursue opportunities in the private sector.[2] Following her position with the US Treasury Department, Sigal Mandelker joined Silicon Valley investment firm Ribbit Capital as a General Partner.[3]

Early life and education

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A child of Holocaust survivors,[4] Mandelker was born in Chicago, Illinois.[5] She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1993 and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2000.[6][7]

Career

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Mandelker was a law clerk for Edith Jones at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court of the United States. She worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York as Assistant U.S. Attorney before becoming Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, where she worked on national security and counterterrorism. She was Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security before she worked in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General.

Department of Justice

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In 2008, while in the criminal division of the Department of Justice, Mandelker was part of the team of high ranking DOJ officials who agreed not to pursue federal charges against sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.[8] The deal allowed Epstein to spend only about a year in jail and plead guilty only to state crimes, avoiding federal charges entirely.[8] Victims have long claimed that federal agreement not to prosecute Epstein violated their rights by not informing them of the plea deal.[9] This matter is currently pending appeal before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.[9] In 2019, Epstein was later brought up on federal charges and charged with sexually abusing dozens of children.[8]

Private Practice

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Mandelker was a partner at Proskauer Rose before leaving in 2017.[6][7]

Under Secretary of the Treasury

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In March 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Mandelker for the position of Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.[10][6] She was confirmed by the United States Senate with a vote of 96–4 on June 21, 2017.[11]

Mandelker played a significant role in the Trump administration's Iran policy,[12] overseeing the implementation of financial sanctions against Iran and financial crime enforcement against Iran.[4] Mandelker was one of the Trump administration's "most hawkish members on Iran."[2]

Mandelker drew bipartisan praise for her work applying new authorities given to the Treasury Department, through The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, to sanction individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations or acts of significant corruption. Included in these sanctions were those applied in 2017 and again in 2018 against billionaire Dan Gertler and his companies as a result of his "opaque and corrupt" mining and oil deals in the Congo. These sanctions severely limited his global business acumen as he was refused access to the US banking system and other financial institutions concerned with violating American law.[13]

In October 2019, Mandelker stepped down from this position and was succeeded by Justin Muzinich as acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Mandelker announced plans to pursue opportunities in the private sector.[2][3]

Memberships

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Mandelker is a member of the New York City, New York State, and American Bar Associations, as well as the Federalist Society.[7] She is also a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council.[14][15]

Personal life

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Mandelker lives in New York.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Treasury sanctions chief Mandelker leaving for private sector". Reuters. October 2, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Ian Rappeport (October 2, 2019). "Trump's Top Sanctions Official Will Depart". New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Mengqi Sun and Ian Talley (June 8, 2020). "Former Treasury Officials Positioned To Shape Fintech From Private Sector". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Gilsinan, Kathy (July 20, 2019). "The Woman at the Center of Trump's Iran Policy". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Sigal Mandelker: Meet the woman who is seizing Iran's money". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. September 29, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Key Administration Posts". White House Office of the Press Secretary. March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c "Sigal Mandelker". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Merle, Renae; Zapotosky, Matt. "'He was inappropriate with me': Epstein face to face with accusers at bail hearing". Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Anderson, Curt (August 7, 2020). "US court will rehear Epstein victims' claims over plea deal". AP NEWS. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  10. ^ Damian Paletta (March 14, 2017). "Trump picks another Goldman banker for senior post, in sharp break from campaign bashing". Washington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  11. ^ Macagnone, Michael (June 22, 2017). "Senate Confirms Treasury Undersecretary Pick". Law360. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  12. ^ "The Woman at the Center of Trump's Iran Policy". The Atlantic. July 20, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  13. ^ Lipton, Eric (February 22, 2021). "Tough Sanctions, Then a Mysterious Last-Minute Turnabout". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  14. ^ "Trump Appoints Chabad Rabbi to Holocaust Memorial Council". COLlive. January 29, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "United States Holocaust Memorial Council (Board of Trustees) — United States Holocaust Memorial Museum". www.ushmm.org. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
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Political offices
Preceded by United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
Acting
2017–2018 		Succeeded by
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