OKX appointed Linda Lacewell to his Chief Legal Officer (CLO) after departing Mauricio Beugelmans.

Lacewell joined Crypto Exchange as a board member last year, where he had previously served as a superintendent and head of the New York Department of Financial Services, according to a message on Tuesday.

“Her leadership comes at a central time as we expand to key markets like Europe and UAE,” Okx said.

The message comes the day after Coindesk reported that Lacewell’s predecessor, Mauricio Beugelmans, had left OKX, with his departure related to the exchange’s sanctions of over $ 500 million paid to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a source familiar with the case.

DOJ said OKX had relieved more than $ 5 billion in “suspicious transactions and criminal revenue.”

Beugelamans told Coindesk in an E email that he left OKX to pursue another option in the crypto industry.

Update (1 April 15:18 UTC): Adds Beugelmans’ comment in the last paragraph.