Samark Lopez Bello v. Andrea Gacki

94 F.4th 1067
CourtCourt of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
DecidedMarch 12, 2024
Docket23-5036
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 94 F.4th 1067 (Samark Lopez Bello v. Andrea Gacki) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Samark Lopez Bello v. Andrea Gacki, 94 F.4th 1067 (D.C. Cir. 2024).

Opinion

United States Court of Appeals FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT

Argued January 19, 2024 Decided March 12, 2024

No. 23-5036

SAMARK JOSE LOPEZ BELLO, APPELLANT

v.

ANDREA M. GACKI, IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL AND UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, APPELLEES

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (No. 1:21-cv-01727)

Erich C. Ferrari argued the cause and filed the briefs for appellant.

Benjamin M. Shultz, Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, argued the cause for appellees. With him on the brief were Brian M. Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, and Sharon Swingle, Attorney.

Before: SRINIVASAN, Chief Judge, HENDERSON, Circuit Judge, and RANDOLPH, Senior Circuit Judge. 2

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge HENDERSON.

KAREN LECRAFT HENDERSON, Circuit Judge: The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), named two Venezuelan men as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNTs or Traffickers). OFAC designated Tareck Zaidan El Aissami for “playing a significant role in international narcotics trafficking,” see 21 U.S.C. § 1904(b)(4), and Samark Jose Lopez Bello for materially assisting in that trafficking and providing support to El Aissami. See id. § 1904(b)(2)–(3). In this action, Lopez Bello alleged that OFAC and its Acting Director erred in designating him a Trafficker. The district court rejected his challenge and we affirm.

I.

The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act), 21 U.S.C. §§ 1901–1908, authorizes the President or the Treasury Secretary to name persons as Traffickers. The Kingpin Act authorizes the imposition of sanctions on Traffickers, their organizations and supporting persons whose “activities threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” Id. § 1902. The President and the Secretary can designate so-called Tier 1 Traffickers—those who play “a significant role in international narcotics trafficking.” Id. §§ 1903 (President’s authority), 1904(b)(4) (Secretary’s authority), 1907(7). The Secretary can also designate as so-called Tier 2 Traffickers (1) those who materially assist, provide financial or technological support for or to, or provide goods or services in support of a Tier 1 Trafficker’s trafficking activities, and (2) those who support or act for or on behalf of Tier 1 Traffickers. Id. § 1904(b)(2)–(3). The Secretary has delegated his Kingpin Act authority to the 3 OFAC Director. 31 C.F.R. § 598.803. A Trafficker designation—Tiers 1 and 2—blocks all of the designee’s assets in the United States or under the control of persons in the United States. 21 U.S.C. § 1904(b). All assets are “effectively frozen.” Zevallos v. Obama, 793 F.3d 106, 110 (D.C. Cir. 2015). No person can transact or deal with the frozen property, as doing so risks civil and/or criminal penalties. 21 U.S.C. §§ 1904(c), 1906(a)–(b).

Designation under the Kingpin Act is analogous to several other Executive Branch designations. See Fares v. Smith, 901 F.3d 315, 318 (D.C. Cir. 2018). The Congress based the Kingpin Act on Executive Order 12978’s successful application of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) against Colombian narcotics Traffickers. H.R. Rep. No. 106-457, at 42 (1999) (Conf. Rep.); see Exec. Order No. 12,978, 60 Fed. Reg. 54579 (Oct. 21, 1995); 50 U.S.C. §§ 1701–1707. IEEPA is itself analogous to the antiterrorism provisions of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), 8 U.S.C. § 1189. Under IEEPA, AEDPA and the Kingpin Act, any designated person or entity is added to the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List” and subject to asset freezing. See Zevallos, 793 F.3d at 110; 31 C.F.R. § 501.807(a).

A Kingpin Act designee “may seek administrative reconsideration” before OFAC and request “delisting.” 31 C.F.R. § 501.807. The designee may submit evidence that demonstrates “the insufficient basis” for the designation or that “circumstances resulting in the designation no longer apply.” Id. Said another way, the designee must show that OFAC’s basis for designation “was never true or is no longer true.” Zevallos, 793 F.3d at 110. OFAC reviews the reconsideration request and subsequently provides a written decision. 31 C.F.R. 4 § 501.807(d). A designee can request delisting “as many times as he likes.” Zevallos, 793 F.3d at 110.

Lopez Bello, a citizen of Venezuela and Italy, ran several corporations related to the Venezuelan oil and gas industries. He also conducted business in the United States, held U.S. visas and resided in Florida. OFAC simultaneously designated El Aissami and Lopez Bello in 2017. Sanctions Actions Pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, 82 Fed. Reg. 11101, 11101–02 (Feb. 17, 2017). OFAC designated El Aissami, then Executive Vice President of Venezuela, as a Tier 1 Trafficker under 21 U.S.C. § 1904(b)(4) and Lopez Bello as a Tier 2 Trafficker under § 1904(b)(2)–(3). Id. The designation also blocked thirteen entities and an aircraft, all associated with Lopez Bello. 1 Id. A Treasury press release explained that Lopez Bello served as a “frontman,” handled “business arrangements and financial matters” and laundered drug proceeds on El Aissami’s behalf. 2

Lopez Bello requested the full administrative record supporting his designation and blocking. In response, OFAC provided the administrative record supporting designation but redacted classified, privileged and law enforcement sensitive information pursuant to 21 U.S.C. § 1903(e). OFAC also provided him with a copy of the Designation and Blocking Memorandum, the Federal Register notice and the press release

1 Based on OFAC’s factual findings, third-party plaintiffs holding judgments against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have successfully executed on some of the blocked assets. Other assets remain subject to post-judgment writs of garnishment and execution. J.A. 68–69. 2 Treasury Sanctions Prominent Venezuelan Drug Trafficker Tareck El Aissami and His Primary Frontman Samark Lopez Bello, U.S. DEP’T OF THE TREASURY (Feb. 13, 2017), https://perma.cc/7PHT-TJTN. 5 related to his designation. OFAC then produced an unclassified summary of the redacted information.

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