By Brett Wolf
ST. LOUIS, April 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. TreasuryDepartment's top anti-money laundering official is resigning totake what sources said on Tuesday was a top post at HSBCHoldings Plc, which is struggling to meet terms of anearlier settlement with the U.S. government.
Jennifer Shasky Calvery announced she was resigning asdirector of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network(FinCEN), which she has headed since 2012. She is a formerfederal prosecutor who had also led the Justice Department'santi-money laundering unit.
"I hope that we have enhanced the agency's solid foundationso that FinCEN can best perform its mission for years into thefuture," Shasky said in a press release.
The resignation is to be effective on May 27.
Her move to HSBC was confirmed by two sources familiar withher plans. Shasky declined comment through a FinCEN spokesman,and an HSBC spokesman declined comment.
Shasky will join HSBC in a senior global financial-crimefighting role, according to one source. It is not clear when shewill begin that work.
Her move to HSBC comes as the bank is working to demonstrateit has sufficiently bolstered its controls to prevent moneylaundering, as required by a 2012 pact with the JusticeDepartment.
Shasky left her role in the Justice Department'smoney-laundering enforcement unit just months prior to itsDecember 2012 deferred prosecution agreement with HSBC, afive-year deal requiring the bank to overhaul its anti-moneylaundering controls.
As part of the pact, part of a $1.9 billion globalsettlement with the U.S. government, HSBC admitted drug cartelshad pumped at least $800 million through the bank.
A monitor assigned to track the bank's progress "remainsunable to certify that the bank's compliance program isreasonably designed and implemented to detect and preventviolations of AML and sanctions laws," U.S. Attorney RobertCapers in Brooklyn, New York said in a letter filed with thefederal court there on April 1.
At FinCEN, Shasky led a personnel overhaul and brought on anumber of former federal prosecutors. She focused FinCEN's civilenforcement authorities on casinos, money transmitters, and thenew-generation "fintech" industry.
Her aggressive reshaping of FinCEN's enforcement unit in2014 drew scrutiny from the Office of Personnel Management andmembers of Congress. The bureau's hiring authority wastemporarily revoked by the Treasury, at least in part due torejections of pools of candidates made up of qualified veterans,Thomson Reuters reported. (Reporting by Brett Wolf of Thomson Reuters RegulatoryIntelligence; https://risk.thomsonreuters.com/products/thomson-reuters-regulatory-intelligence) Editing by Randall Mikkelsen and Cynthia Osterman)