Lucas Blanchard

About Lucas Blanchard

Dynamic financial crimes professional with 20+ years of expertise in anti-money laundering compliance, investigations, auditing, and operational strategy. Currently working within the Exit Operations Group assisting Financial Crimes Investigations (FCI) with complex financial crimes cases at Wells Fargo, leveraging extensive regulatory knowledge and analytical skills to identify suspicious activity and strengthen compliance frameworks.AML & COMPLIANCE EXPERTISE:• Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance and enforcement• Customer Due Diligence (CDD) and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)• Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols• Transaction monitoring and suspicious activity investigations• Sanctions screening and risk assessments• Title 26 and Title 31 regulatory complianceCORE STRENGTHS:• Financial crimes investigations and root cause analysis• Policy evaluation and internal controls assessment• Audit leadership and risk mitigation• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management• Process improvement and operational optimizationBACKGROUND: My career path uniquely combines federal regulatory enforcement experience with financial institution compliance. As a Senior Internal Revenue Agent specializing in BSA at the IRS, I conducted comprehensive audits of financial institutions, identified critical non-compliance issues, and participated in inter-agency enforcement efforts through the SAR Review Team. This federal regulatory perspective now informs my work at Wells Fargo.Prior to my AML career, I spent over a decade in senior finance and operations leadership roles, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, leading organizational transformations, and ensuring GAAP compliance across diverse entities. This foundation provides me with a comprehensive understanding of financial operations, internal controls, and the business context surrounding compliance decisions.CREDENTIALS:• Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)- Certificate ID: MBA - The George Washington University• BSBA - Appalachian State University• CPA CandidateI\'m passionate about protecting the financial system from illicit activity and continuously advancing my expertise in financial crimes prevention and detection.

Experience

1. Financial Crimes Specialist

   Wells Fargo

   Oct 2025 — Present · Charlotte, NC, US

   Investigate complex financial crimes cases involving suspicious transactions, policy violations, and customer screening alerts.• Conduct comprehensive risk assessments and root cause analyses to identify control failures and systemic issues.• Evaluate policies, procedures, and internal controls for effectiveness, recommending process improvements to strengthen the financial crimes prevention program.• Provide strategic input on customer exit strategies for high-risk relationships.• Collaborate across lines of business to support financial crime awareness initiatives and enhance organization-wide compliance culture.• Support Financial Crimes Investigations through organizational changes and process optimization.

Education

• The George Washington University School of Business

  Master of Business Administration (MBA), Business

• Northern Virginia Community College

  Accounting Studies Certificate - CPA Candidate, Accounting

• Appalachian State University

  BSBA, Marketing & International Business

Skills

• Payroll
• Leadership
• Accounting
• Imis
• Fundraising
• Change Management
• Financial Reporting
• Management Consulting
• Consulting
• Program Management
• Accounts Receivable
• Account Reconciliation
• Microsoft Excel
• Financial Analysis
• Human Resources
• Data Analysis
• Management
• Training
• Budget
• Budgets
• Finance
• Cash Flow
• Strategic Planning
• Nonprofits
• Business Process Improvement
• Policy
• Auditing
• Financial Accounting
• Non-Profits
• General Ledger
• Accounts Payable
• Great Plains Software
• Microsoft Office
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Risk Management
• Business Operations
• Internal Controls