Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2010

Former ABN Amro Bank N.V. Agrees to Forfeit $500 Million in Connection with Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and with Violation of the Bank Secrecy Act

WASHINGTON – The former ABN AMRO Bank N.V., now named the Royal Bank of Scotland N.V., has agreed to forfeit $500 million to the United States in connection with a conspiracy to defraud the United States, to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to violate the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA), as well as a violation of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., for the District of Columbia.

A criminal information was filed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging the former ABN AMRO, a Dutch corporation that was headquartered in Amsterdam, with one count of violating the BSA and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and violate the IEEPA and TWEA. The bank waived indictment, agreed to the filing of the information, and has accepted and acknowledged responsibility for its conduct. ABN AMRO agreed to forfeit $500 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, also filed today in the District of Columbia. U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly today accepted the deferred prosecution agreement.

“ABN AMRO facilitated the movement of illegal money through the U.S. financial system by stripping information from transactions and turning a blind eye to its compliance obligations,â€