Sigal Mandelker

Sigal P. Mandelker is an American lawyer and former government official who served as Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence from 2017 to 2019. In October 2019, she announced plans to step down from the position to pursue opportunities in the private sector.[3]

Sigal P. Mandelker
Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
In office June 26, 2017 – October 2019
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Adam Szubin (acting)
Acting United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
In office June 26, 2017 – December 12, 2018
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Sarah Bloom Raskin
Succeeded by	Justin Muzinich
Personal details
Born	Sigal Pearl Mandelker 1971 (age 49–50) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.[1]
Spouse(s)	Steven D. Capozzola
Mother	Ester Hornstein (deceased)[2]
Father	Gershon N. Mandelker[2]
Education	University of Michigan (BA) University of Pennsylvania (JD)
Occupation	Attorney

Early life and education

A child of Holocaust survivors,[4] Mandelker was born in Chicago, Illinois.[5] She received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1993 and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2000.[6][7]

Personal life

Mandelker is married to Steven D. Capozzola, climate change skeptic and a contributing author to Breitbart.[8]

Career

Mandelker was a law clerk for Edith Jones at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court of the United States. She worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York as Assistant U.S. Attorney before becoming Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, where she worked on national security and counterterrorism. She was Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security before she worked in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice as Deputy Assistant Attorney General.

Department of Justice

In 2008, while in the criminal division of the Department of Justice, Mandelker was part of the team of high ranking DOJ officials who agreed not to pursue federal charges against sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.[9] The deal allowed Epstein to spend only about a year in jail and plead guilty only to state crimes, avoiding federal charges entirely.[9] Victims have long claimed that federal agreement not to prosecute Epstein violated their rights by not informing them of the plea deal.[10] This matter is currently pending appeal before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.[10] In 2019, Epstein was later brought up on federal charges and charged with sexually abusing dozens of children.[9]

Private Practice

Mandelker was a partner at Proskauer Rose before leaving in 2017.[6][7]

Under Secretary of the Treasury

In March 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Mandelker for the position of Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.[11][6] She was confirmed by the United States Senate with a vote of 96–4 on June 21, 2017.[12]

Mandelker played a significant role in the Trump administration's Iran policy,[13] overseeing the implementation of financial sanctions against Iran and financial crime enforcement against Iran.[4] Mandelker was one of the Trump administration's "most hawkish members on Iran."[3]

On October 2, 2019, it was announced that she would step down from this position and would be succeeded by Justin Muzinich as acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Mandelker announced plans to pursue opportunities in the private sector.[3]

Memberships

Mandelker is a member of the New York City, New York State, and American Bar Associations, as well as the Federalist Society.[7]

References

1. https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Sigal-Mandelker-Meet-the-woman-who-is-seizing-Irans-money-602815
2. "NOMINATIONS OF SIGAL P. MANDELKER, MIRA RADIELOVIC RICARDEL, MARSHALL BILLINGSLEA, AND HEATH P. TARBERT". U.S. Congress. May 16, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
3. Ian Rappeport (October 2, 2019). "Trump's Top Sanctions Official Will Depart". New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
4. Gilsinan, Kathy (July 20, 2019). "The Woman at the Center of Trump's Iran Policy". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
5. Biography: Sigal P. Mandelker, United States Department of the Treasury.
6. "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Key Administration Posts". White House Office of the Press Secretary. March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
7. "Sigal Mandelker". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
8. Markham, Damien C. (June 9, 2017). "BREAKING: Trump Nominee to FinCEN's Husband Breitbart Contributor, Not Previously Disclosed in 278e". Medium. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
9. Merle, Renae; Zapotosky, Matt. "'He was inappropriate with me': Epstein face to face with accusers at bail hearing". Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
10. Anderson, Curt (August 7, 2020). "US court will rehear Epstein victims' claims over plea deal". AP NEWS. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
11. Damian Paletta (March 14, 2017). "Trump picks another Goldman banker for senior post, in sharp break from campaign bashing". Washington Post. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
12. Macagnone, Michael (June 22, 2017). "Senate Confirms Treasury Undersecretary Pick". Law360. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
13. "The Woman at the Center of Trump's Iran Policy". The Atlantic. July 20, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.

External links

• Treasury Department biography
• "Interview with Under Secretary Sigal Mandelker (3:15 mins)". Youtube.com. U.S. Embassy Berlin Videos. November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.