Salvatore R. LaScala

Salvatore R. LaScala is a partner and co-lead of Guidehouse’s Global Investigations and Compliance practice.

Possessing a broad range of subject matter knowledge and expertise, Salvatore applies his 20+ years of hands-on experience to conduct investigations and compliance reviews on behalf of financial institution clients responding to regulatory or law enforcement matters concerning anti-money laundering (AML), the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the USA PATRIOT Act, and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Salvatore leads large teams that regularly perform historical transaction reviews (“Lookbacks”) and Know Your Customer (KYC) / Customer Due Diligence (CDD) / Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) file remediation work. He also helps clients overcome AML and OFAC backlogs by deploying teams embedded at client work sites to disposition alerts. Salvatore’s expertise also includes assisting clients with the selection, implementation, optimization, and validation of AML and OFAC compliance technology, as well as enhancing AML transaction monitoring detection scenarios and sanctions filter interdiction logic.

Salvatore R. LaScala championed the development and implementation of Guidehouse’s proprietary engagement technology, known industry-wide as STAR™ (Suspicious Transaction Analysis and Reporting). The STAR™ rules engine and case management system expedite the AML risk ranking and investigation of billions of financial transactions and account information. The STAR™ platform has been used to file over 25,000 SARs (Suspicious Activity Reports) and to resolve investigations involving AML, BSA, OFAC, fraud, and mortgage matters pursuant to Lookbacks and other inquiries.

Salvatore also leads and manages enterprise-level projects addressing financial fraud, forensic accounting, monitorships, Independent Private Sector Inspector General (IPSIG) activities, and class action lawsuits.

Prior to joining Guidehouse, Salvatore was the Executive Director at Daylight Forensic and the Managing Director of KPMG’s forensic practice, where he delivered client services and served as the product leader for AML, OFAC, and FCPA compliance matters. Earlier in his career, he was a Special Agent with the IRS-CID and practiced law in the State of New York.