Ari Redbord is the Global Head of Policy at TRM Labs, a blockchain intelligence company ^{[1] [2]}. Before joining the private sector, Redbord served for approximately eleven years as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice and later as a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence ^{[3] [4]}. He is a frequent expert witness before the U.S. Congress, a contributor to publications like Forbes, and holds several advisory roles, including Vice Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) Technology Advisory Committee ^{[5] [6]}.

Education

Seun Lanlege holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History and Political Science from Duke University. He subsequently completed a Juris Doctor (JD) at Georgetown Law. ^[16]

Career

Early Legal Career

Before entering public service, Redbord began his legal career as a litigation associate at law firms, including WilmerHale, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP ^{[9] [11] [4]}. He also served as a law clerk for Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ^[4].

U.S. Department of Justice

Redbord served for over eleven years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, from approximately 2008 to 2019 ^{[1] [2]}. As a senior national security and cyber prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted a wide range of complex federal crimes, including terrorism, espionage, threat finance, sanctions evasion, cybercrime, child exploitation, and human trafficking. During his tenure, he worked on the first U.S. terrorism financing case that involved cryptocurrency ^{[12] [4]}.

U.S. Department of the Treasury

From 2019 to 2021, Redbord was the Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary and the Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury ^{[1] [7]}. He was responsible for advising on the use of sanctions and other regulatory tools to combat illicit finance and protect the U.S. financial system. His work involved close collaboration with Treasury components like the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) ^[2]. His policy focus included the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), cryptocurrency, and anti-money laundering (AML) strategies designed to counter threats from terrorist financiers, weapons proliferators, and sanctioned nations such as Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela ^{[1] [11]}.

TRM Labs

Redbord joined TRM Labs in the spring of 2021, initially as Head of Legal and Government Affairs before becoming Global Head of Policy ^{[1] [9]}. He leads the company's global policy team and its engagement with regulators, law enforcement agencies, and financial institutions. He has described his role as being a "translator" between the public sector and the crypto industry with the goal of building a safer financial system ^[6]. Redbord is a key public spokesperson for TRM Labs, often providing expert commentary and authoring reports on crypto-related crime and regulation ^{[5] [13]}.

Public Testimony and Engagement

Redbord frequently provides expert testimony before U.S. Congressional committees. He is also a regular speaker at academic and industry events, including the DAO Research Collective's symposium at Stanford Law School and CoinDesk's "State of Crypto" summit ^{[9] [2]}.

Testimony on Artificial Intelligence and Crime

On July 16, 2025, Redbord testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance on "Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Exploitation." In his testimony, he argued that criminals are often the earliest adopters of new technologies and that AI is enabling an "industrialization of cyber-enabled crime" by removing human bottlenecks ^[3].

He outlined three phases of criminal AI adoption:

• Horizon Phase: Potential but not yet operational uses, such as rogue states using AI to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
• Emerging Phase: AI tools used to scale attacks with human operators, such as using large language models (LLMs) and deepfakes for fraud.
• Mature Phase: AI-dominated criminal activity, with autonomous systems managing tasks like optimizing scams or controlling cryptocurrency wallets.

Redbord identified a significant rise in generative AI-enabled scams, including deepfake cryptocurrency giveaways and "pig butchering" schemes. He also highlighted the use of AI to generate personalized phishing emails, create polymorphic malware, and produce fraudulent identity documents to bypass Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. He advocated for using AI as a defensive tool, stating, "The solution to the criminal abuse of AI is not to ban or stifle the technology — it is to use it, and use it wisely" ^[3].

Testimony on Alternative Payment Systems

In written testimony submitted to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security on September 20, 2022, Redbord addressed the national security impacts of alternative payment systems ^[10]. He argued that while illicit actors use cryptocurrency, the underlying blockchain technology offers powerful tools for law enforcement. He emphasized that the public, transparent, and permanent nature of blockchains allows investigators to "follow the money" in ways not possible in traditional finance. Redbord cited the successful recovery of ransomware payments in the Colonial Pipeline attack and the investigation into the Frosties NFT fraud as examples of blockchain's utility for law enforcement ^{[10] [5]}.

Policy Recommendations and Views

Countering AI-Enabled Crime

In his 2025 testimony, Redbord offered five policy recommendations to Congress to combat AI-related crime ^[3]:

1. Strengthen AI Capabilities: Fund and prioritize AI-powered detection tools for agencies like the IRS-CI, FinCEN, OFAC, and the FBI.
2. Build Real-Time Alerting Frameworks: Encourage public-private systems for flagging suspicious cryptocurrency wallet addresses to enable temporary holds on assets.
3. Modernize Legal Frameworks: Close statutory gaps by criminalizing deepfake impersonation fraud and prohibiting synthetic Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
4. Equip Law Enforcement: Allocate dedicated funding for AI-enabled investigative tools and specialized agent training.
5. Promote Public-Private Collaboration: Formalize partnerships between technology companies, financial institutions, and government agencies.

He also proposed five principles for the responsible deployment of AI in law enforcement: the use of guardrails, compliance with legal authorities, human control over critical decisions, transparency for court proceedings, and flexibility to avoid vendor lock-in ^[3].

Views on Cryptocurrency and Regulation

Redbord views cryptocurrency as a dual-use technology that, despite its potential for illicit use, offers unprecedented transparency for tracking financial crime ^[1]. He is an advocate for clear regulation to build trust and enable mainstream adoption of digital assets. A central theme in his commentary is the need for strong public-private partnerships to effectively police the crypto ecosystem ^[5].

In his 2022 testimony, Redbord argued that U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, if appropriately regulated, can strengthen the dollar’s status as the world's reserve currency by extending its reach into the digital economy. He also maintained that U.S. sanctions remain highly effective in the crypto space, pointing to OFAC's actions against mixing services like Tornado Cash as proof of their impact ^[10].

Appointments and Affiliations

Redbord holds numerous advisory and academic positions:

• Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC): He serves as the Vice Chair of the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) and chairs its Subcommittee on Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology. He was appointed to help advise the commission on the responsible development of digital asset markets ^{[11] [6]}.
• Georgetown University Law Center: Serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law ^[1].
• Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): An Associate Fellow with the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies ^[7].
• The Atlantic Council: A Non-Resident Senior Fellow ^[1].
• Forbes: A regular contributor to the Forbes Finance Council, writing on cryptocurrency, regulation, and law enforcement ^[14].
• The Cipher Brief: Listed as a Network Expert on national security and financial intelligence ^[14].
• Washington Hebrew Congregation: A member of the Board of Directors ^[8].

Awards and Recognition

During his time as a federal prosecutor, Redbord received the Attorney General’s Award for his leadership of an interagency task force focused on prosecuting individuals involved in child abuse and exploitation. He also received numerous commendations from FinCEN, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for his work ^[4]. In February 2026, the TRM Labs legal team, which Redbord helps lead, was shortlisted for the Financial Times' award for North America's Most Innovative In-House Legal Teams ^[13].

Interviews

Crypto Crime Prevention and Regulatory Frameworks #01

On May 12, 2022, Ari Redbord participated in a Web3 Watch fireside chat on the Cardstack YouTube channel titled “Crypto Crime Prevention w/ TRM’s Head of Government Affairs Ari Redbord.” In discussion with Cardstack Founding Director Chris Tse, the conversation addressed blockchain analytics, compliance practices, and regulatory developments related to digital assets.

During the interview, Redbord described the function of blockchain intelligence tools in financial crime investigations. He explained that the public and traceable nature of blockchain transactions allows investigative authorities to follow the movement of digital assets. He outlined two principal applications of analytics platforms: post-incident investigative tracing and pre-transaction screening. According to his account, cryptocurrency exchanges and other service providers use transaction monitoring and wallet screening to identify exposure to sanctioned entities or illicit actors, while law enforcement agencies use similar tools to reconstruct fund flows after suspected criminal activity.

Redbord also discussed compliance practices within cryptocurrency exchanges operating in regulated jurisdictions. He stated that many large exchanges maintain anti-money laundering and sanctions screening programs and are subject to regulatory requirements comparable to those applied to other money service businesses. He described blockchain analytics as one component within broader compliance frameworks adopted by such entities.

The interview included consideration of international regulatory approaches. Redbord referenced regulatory initiatives in jurisdictions including Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland. He mentioned guidance issued by Switzerland’s Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in relation to stablecoins and noted ongoing policy activity in multiple regions. He indicated that differences between national frameworks remain, while observing that cross-border digital asset activity presents coordination challenges for regulators.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were addressed in the context of regulatory classification. Redbord stated that regulatory treatment may depend on how a token is used. NFTs functioning as instruments for payment or investment could fall within definitions applied to virtual assets under anti-money laundering standards, whereas non-transferable or utility-based tokens may be assessed differently. He also referred to use cases such as digital credentials and records anchored to public blockchains.

Security risks were discussed in relation to large-scale cyber incidents involving digital asset platforms. Redbord cited publicly reported attacks attributed to North Korean actors and described such events as part of the broader enforcement and compliance landscape. He characterized transaction tracing and coordination with exchanges as relevant elements in responding to these incidents.

In concluding remarks, Redbord referred to the interaction between technology developers, financial institutions, and regulatory authorities. He described engagement between public and private actors as part of the ongoing process of shaping digital asset oversight frameworks. ^[18]

Cryptocurrency Crime and Blockchain Analysis #02

On August 14, 2022, Ari Redbord participated in an interview on the Crypto Coin Show with Ashton Addison. The discussion addressed cryptocurrency-related criminal activity, regulatory considerations, and the function of blockchain analytics in investigations.

At the time of the interview, Redbord served as Head of Legal at TRM Labs. He referenced his previous roles as a federal prosecutor in the United States and as a senior advisor within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He described his work at TRM Labs as an extension of his earlier involvement in cases related to money laundering, terrorism financing, sanctions enforcement, and other financial offenses, applied to digital asset markets.

During the conversation, Redbord stated that digital assets present characteristics that may facilitate both lawful and unlawful activity. He noted that decentralized networks and pseudonymous transactions can enable cross-border transfers and expanded access to financial services. He also indicated that these same characteristics may be used by actors engaged in fraud, ransomware, or sanctions evasion.

Redbord described public blockchains as transparent systems in which transaction data is permanently recorded and accessible. According to his explanation, this structure allows investigators and compliance teams to trace the movement of funds using analytical tools. He contrasted this with certain traditional financial crime methods that rely on opaque structures, such as shell companies or cash transactions.

He stated that several widely reported incidents, including bridge exploits and wallet-related breaches, were associated with cybersecurity vulnerabilities rather than structural deficiencies of blockchain protocols themselves. In this context, he referenced the role of internal security controls, compliance procedures, and operational safeguards in reducing exposure to theft and fraud.

The interview also addressed the role of cryptocurrency exchanges. Redbord explained that exchanges may act as points of interaction between digital assets and traditional financial systems. In cases involving suspected illicit funds, law enforcement agencies may seek identifying information through legal process directed to regulated entities.

Redbord further discussed the cross-border dimension of digital asset investigations. He indicated that the global nature of blockchain networks requires cooperation among regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies in multiple jurisdictions. He stated that differences in regulatory standards may affect enforcement efforts.

Regarding TRM Labs’ activities, Redbord explained that the company develops blockchain analytics tools intended to operate across multiple networks. He referenced the expansion of digital asset ecosystems beyond Bitcoin to include additional blockchains and asset types. He also stated that broader use of digital assets for trading and payments may increase the relevance of compliance and monitoring systems.

In concluding remarks, Redbord stated that blockchain analytics can be used to trace transaction flows while personal identifying information remains with regulated intermediaries, subject to applicable legal procedures.

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